The Tell Tale Heart's
by RainingPaperButterflies
Summary: Alfred and Arthur hated each other from the moment they met, and decided instantly that they wanted nothing to do with the other. However when forced to share a dorm room, they begin to find that avoiding each other is going to be harder then it looks.
1. Pictures and Paper Airplanes

**Disclaimer: **Not mine... weeps bitterly

**Summary: Alfred Jones is a kind hearted hero, and Arthur kirkland is the epitome of everything he hates. When these two very different people are called to attend a prestigious school together, will the two boys listen to their heads, or their tell tale hearts? **

Oh hi ^^ I have to say this is probably one of the first fics I've ever written where the words had come out so easily for me so I'm really excited about writing it :D

O ~ O ~ O

Alfred F. Jones reclined back in his chair, swinging denim clad legs onto his desk and letting his muddy sneakers hit it with a dull thud. "I'm telling you Matty this is gonna be the year." He said, grinning at his friend. Matthew rolled his eye's, setting his elbows on his knees and resting his head in his hands as he quirked a quizzical eyebrow toward his flamboyant friend.

"So you keep saying. Honestly Alfred do you think anything will change the more you keep saying that? We've been in school a month and I hate to break it too you but you've already been shoved in 5 lockers and had your clothes stolen from gym a grand total of 12 times. Not to mention the glasses incident..." He trailed off, staring apathetically at his friend who's wide grin had been pulled into a small frown. "Those guys have been relentless and you know it isn't going to get better."

"I don't know why they're such a pain to me." Alfred muttered, pulling his knees against his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs. Matthew just sighed again, turning his legs back towards the front of the room. Alfred scowled at his friend and buried his head in his knees. Matty always made it seem like he was missing something painfully obvious, but he would never actually explain what exactly it was Alfred was missing. It frustrated him to no end. How was he supposed to know what he was supposed to know if Matthew didn't tell him?

"Look." The more levelheaded of the two said, turning back to Alfred. "It's not like everyone picks on you right? It's only the Jocks and it's only because they're jealous. All the girls adore you and the other guys look up to you."

Alfred let out an incredulous snort and rolled his eyes. "Jealous. Right." He grinned haphazardly. "You really are funny Matty."

"I'm serious Alfred." His friend replied sternly. "Come on you have to understand why. You're the smartest kid in school. On top of that you're good at sports, all the girls adore you, plus you're actually not bad looking." Alfred quirked his eye brows and gave him a sly grin, eyes alight with amusement.

"In a non-gay way of course." Matthew added, catching on to Alfred's look. Alfred laughed, smacking Matthew's shoulder.

"Just making sure kid. You know those rumors and stuff..." He trailed off, still grinning. Matthew frowned and gave him what Alfred would classify as his best 'How could you' look and then joined Alfred in his smiling letting out a short chuckle.

"Yea well don't worry about that. Trust me I'm not going gay any time soon." he said, pushing himself out of his chair and gathering up his books.

"Awwww you're leaving?" Alfred whined, tugging on Matthew's sleeve in a feeble attempt to get his friend to sit back down.

"Yes." He replied, tugging his arm out of Alfred's grip. "Lunch is almost over and my class is all the way in the second building. I'll be late if I don't get going."

"I knew we should have eaten outside like we always do." Alfred grumbled, crossing his arms in a pose akin to a pouting child. "Then you wouldn't be leaving me aloooooooone."

Matthew rolled his eyes, sliding his books into his new red backpack. " Eating in one of the class rooms was better. I had work to do Alfred. Work that you effectively kept me from doing with all your talking I might add. My bio teacher is going to have a fit you know."

"No he won't." Alfred protested. "Come on man your grades are as good as if not better then mine. One little piece of paper not finished ain't gonna cause any harm."

"I'm amazed you're passing English you know." Matthew laughed, hauling his heavy pack over his shoulder. "With that language of yours, the teacher must have a fit every time you open your mouth."

"Damn stuck up British people." Alfred seethed, scuffing his tennis shoes on the shining white tile. "My English teacher hates me. I'm surprised I still have an A in his 'effing class, seeing as all ever hear is shit about the way I talk." He threw his hands above his head, leaning against the old wooden desk for support. "It is pronounced 'is not' not isn't or ain't." He mocked, not putting any sort of effort into his faux British accent. "And it is 'learnt' not 'learned'. Get it right for once you stupid boy or I'll throw you off the tower of London. And furthermore that accent is atrocious. You could at least try not to drawl out your words like someone in one of those horrid American movies. You sound like a mental patient and it's even more horrendously unbecoming then the rest of you. Now do go die so I can have some peace and quiet. Pip pip cheerio."

Matthew doubled over in laughter, clutching his stomach fiercely and holding the other over his mouth in a feeble attempt to stifle his amusement. "You idiot." He choked out in between fits of giggling. "You better not talk like that in front of -gasp- any of the -gasp- British kids." He scolded half heartedly, still trying to control his laughter. Alfred grinned widely, spinning in a circle and placing his hand dramatically over his heart.

"Ah yes. Fear the vengeful Brits. Cause we didn't already kick their ass's in the revolutionary war." He quipped, a proud smirk tugging on his lips. Pushing up his rounded glasses and wiping tears from his eyes, Matthew merely shook his head. "How would you like it if they made fun of your country Alfred?"

"But they do!" He whined. "All day and every day. Hey how come they never make fun of you Matty? You're from Canada I mean, no offense but the U.S.A is way more awesome then Canada! And ok fine I'm the only kid from the states, but you're the only Canadian!"

"Well aren't you sweet." Matthew muttered. "I was so hoping that my best friend would insult my homeland today." As if suddenly realizing just what he had said, Alfred opened his mouth to protest, but Matthew held up a hand, silencing him.

"It's fine. Actually everyone pretty much forgets where Canada even if most of the time, and no one ever really says much about it. I suppose that's why they just don't have anything to tease me about. Now before you say another word the bell is going to ring in approximately two minutes which gives me seven minutes to get to building two. Because I need to beg on my hands and knees for an extension on this paper, I need to be there at least two minutes early so with that logic in mind, it would make sense that I leave right..." He paused, still holding up his hand and swinging his gaze briefly over to the clock mounted on the wall. "Now." He said suddenly. And with those words, Matthew Williams turned on his heel and marched towards the classroom door. He swung it open fiercely, and before his friend could get a word in edge wise, bolted into the hall and disappeared into the mass of students.

Alfred stared at the door Matthew had exited out of and chuckled. He really had seemed quiet and meek when he'd first met him. Turned out he wasn't really either of those two. Sighing, Alfred slouched back into his chair and absentmindedly drew shapes in the air with his finger. Matthew was probably right. This year wasn't going to be any different then the years before. The nerds would look up to him, the girls would adore him, the skaters would ignore him, and the jocks would beat up on him. Brilliant. It wasn't his fault that they'd played so much rugby that their brains stopped functioning. At one point, he'd even tried to help them with their schoolwork. That hadn't gone particularly well. Alfred shuddered at the memory and forced it to the back of his mind. It wasn't his fault he was smart. And good looking. And good at (some) sports. It wasn't like he minded girls falling over him all the time of course, but perhaps it would have been better if they didn't After all, the whole conflict began with the fact that the moment he had stepped foot on the junior high campus, the girls immediately turned their attention from the other boys and showered him with attention.

He rubbed his head furiously, whacking his forehead against the cool wooden desk and letting out an exasperated sigh. Well whatever. It wasn't like school was hard or anything, especially not this one. He would just soar through classes as usual and when he graduated, he could move back to the states. That was always his plan. Finish school and get the heck out of England. It wasn't like he was happy his parents had forced him to move to this hellhole, and he'd sworn from the moment they set foot on the ground that he was moving back home as soon as possible

"Four more years." He muttered into his arms. Well he's survived the first four, he could survive the last four. The familiar chiming of the minute bell echoed through the classroom and Alfred sat up as students began to pour into the room. Odd. He thought. I must have not heard the first one. The students settled down in their seats and began to chat amongst themselves, waiting for the final bell to ring and for their teacher to arrive. Alfred lifted his gaze to the ticking second hand on the clock. Ten seconds until the final bell. Not even a millisecond second later, the door swung open dramatically and a tall blond boy stepped quickly into the room and slid into the seat next to Alfred's just as the final bell chimed.

"Hey Soren. Cutting it a little close huh? You could have been late." Alfred joked, punching his friend lightly on the shoulder. The taller blonde laughed, azure blue eye's alighting mischivieously. "You would show up last minute too if you were where I was just now." he winked. "Besides it's not like Mr. Panty's in a knot can do anything. Look, he's not even here yet. And unless he's got video cameras around here watching us, I'm pretty sure I'm safe. Don't sweat it Al."

As if on cue, their uptight teacher strode bruisqly into the room and instantaneously the students quieted. The two boys exchanged wolfish grins and Soren passed Alfred a small spiral notebook that he'd pulled out of his backpack. It was cruel. It was mean and awful and Matthew scolded them for it because he swore they were going to get expelled someday. But they kept at it anyway. Messing with their English teacher was just to fun an opportunity to pass up. Every day since school had begun, the two boys meticulously planned out a new strategy to torture their malevolent teacher in that red spiral bound notebook. And every day with out fail, their plan was set in motion and the boys along with the rest of the class would struggled to hold back their laughter as they watched him attempt to free himself from whatever sort of situation the two put him in. It wasn't really befitting work of a hero like Alfred, but it was fun nonetheless and as long as they weren't actually hurting him, he didn't see the harm. Today, it was paper airplanes. Heaps of them.

Mr. McKardish (aka Mr. Panty's in a knot) had begun his monotone lesson and Alfred and soren were just pulling the first of many paper airplanes out of their bags, when a loud beeping resonated through the room. The students looked at each other in surprise and the room broke out into a chorus of murmurings. That was the chime that signaled announcements, but they'd already had the announcements for the day. Which meant someone was being called up to the office for causing trouble.

"I wonder who the poor sap is." Alfred murmured to Soren, and the lighter haired blonde shrugged.

"Please pardon the interruption." A women's voice echoed through the full classrooms and empty halls of the school. "Will Alfred Jones, Soren Mathiesen and Matthew Williams please report to the office immediately? Again Alfred Jones, Soren Mathiesen and Matthew Williams, please report to the office immediately? Thank you, that is all."

Alfred and Soren exchanged numb looks, unable to manage any thing but letting their mouths hang wide open. The room immediately broke out into harsh whispers, and eye's flicked continuously in their direction as the students tried to think up just what two of the top freshmen in the school had done this time to get them in so much trouble.

"Well well it seems as if you're reign of terror here is finally over," Mr. McKardish sneered, stepping down the isle to stand directly in front of the awestruck boys. "Just because you two are smart you get so much slack when you do something wrong. But now, now justice is finally being served and high time it was. In fact I think..."

Soren and Alfred tossed each other annoyed looks. They were in no particular mood to hear their English teacher's sermon (not that they ever wanted to) and the two, each in his own mind, decided enough was enough. And so without a second thought they stood, and in what appeared to be one fluid movement, the two boys snatched up their back packs, sprinted through the desks and out the back door of the class room, leaving a room of giggling students and one red faced teacher behind them.

O ~ O ~ O

"Do you boy's know why you're here?" Alfred, Matthew and Soren sat mutely in the principles office, throwing puzzled glances at each other, as if perhaps one of them knew the reason for their summoning.

"You know that already don't you?" Soren drawled, staring the principle square in the eyes. "So why are you asking us? Just get on with it." The women frowned slightly, but quickly pulled her mouth back into a warm smile, so quickly that Alfred had to wonder weather he'd imagined the change in her facial expression.

"Very well then. I'll cut right to the chase." She replied, folding her hands across her desk. "I received word today from someone very important that you boys are going to be given a very special opportunity." They cast each other wayward glances before refocusing their attention on the Ms Rosencrantz.

"You think you could be a little more specific?" Alfred asked incredulously. "You make it sound like we're being hauled off to some mental institution."

"I'm getting to it Alfred just relax." She sighed, abandoning her business like demeanor for an instant to tap her fingers on her wooden desk in annoyance. "Now as I was saying, somehow the three of you managed to catch the eye of the headmaster of BNA, or Britain's National Academy. For some reason, he seems to be under the impression that you all will do well at the school..." She trailed off, closing her eyes and letting out a deep tired sigh. "And as I'm in no position to argue with him, it is with the greatest reluctance," she smiled, " as well as pride, that I hand you these." Drawing her arm from what they could only assume was a drawer in her desk, she extended her hand to them holding three prestigious looking letters.

The boys slowly accepted them, turning them over in their hands and inspecting them as if she'd just handed them a ticking bomb. Well this can't be right. Alfred thought to himself. Me? Accepted to one of those stuck up rich kids schools? He resisted the urge to burst out laughing and merely frowned, continuing to flip the letter over and inspect it. No it was some dumb practical joke that the teachers were pulling on him. Probably Mr. McKardish, if he had to wager a guess.

"You're shitting us, right?" Soren was the first to speak, still flipping the envelope carelessly in his hands.

"Soren!" Matthew hissed, giving the taller boy a gentle shove. Alfred felt a wide smile flit across his lips and let out a small chuckle. It figured the first thing Matthew would say would be some sort of scolding. Mrs. Rosencrantz raised her eyes in disapproval but choose to ignore Soren's foul language.

"What?" Soren muttered. "You people have to be pulling one over our eye's. I mean this is like the white dog incident all over again isn't it? You all are going to send us off to some random place and trick us into thinking there's a school and then everyone is going to jump out and yell, surprise! Gotcha! Right?"

"I can assure you we most certainly are not. Now before you start spewing other such atrocities I'll kindly have you leave. I'm sending the three of you home today to discuss the matter with your parent's. After all, you do need their permission. The forms are due in three days boys. You're not required to come to school those days, as we understand this may be a difficult decision. However by the third day if you haven't given us the forms, or you decline the offer, you are to be back in classes by Friday, do you understand?"

"That's four days." Soren muttered under his breath.

"Not including today. Tuesday Wednesday Thursday. Three days. Goodness I do sometimes wonder how you three do so well." She replied, forcing a smile to her face. Alfred bit back a sour retort and instead, simply tossed her his own dazzling grin.

"Thank you very much Ms. Rosencrantz. We'll take our leave now then. Come on you two." He said, standing and snatching his friends up by their arms. "We'll be back in three day's with our reply for them.

O ~ O ~ O

"Well that went swimmingly." Matthew sighed as the trio ambled down the worn sidewalk.

"Tell me about it." Alfred groaned. "What kind of shit is this? Seriously could this year be starting out any worse?"

"Say's the boy proclaiming victory over the world not an hour ago." Matthew laughed, cuffing Alfred playfully on the head. "Honestly you know, I don't really think this is such a bad thing." He mused as he pulled his jacket more tightly around him against the cold. "I mean think about it. We could finally get out of here. We could take classes that were actually interesting," Soren and Alfred rolled their eyes. "Ok fine. I could take classes that interest me. But Alfred you wouldn't have to put up with the idiots at that school any more. And think about it this way. Maybe this will get you closer to the states. After all you never know if they offer exchange programs." At mention of his homeland Alfred visibly perked up, turning his body completely towards the indigo-eyed blond.

"You think so?" He chirped, a pleased smile sliding onto his lips. "I hadn't thought of that." Visions of his old town flashed in Alfred's memory and filled his body with nostalgia. What he wouldn't give to go home.

"Then it's settled." Matthew nodded. "We're all going."

"Hey what about my vote?" The Dane whined. "I don't know if I like any of this, leaving an all. I've got a girl you know. Besides I'm not so sure my old man would go for it."

"That's fine." Matthew said casually, smiling pleasantly at his friend. "In fact maybe it's better if just Alfred and I go. Wouldn't want to leave that poor school completely without genius, even if it is a lower form of it."

Alfred smirked, catching on to Matthews plan. That Canadian really could be conniving when he wanted to be. He knew Soren well enough to know that there was no way he would want to stay behind while his two best friends shipped off, especially if he felt he was being degraded in any way.

" Oh alright." Soren grumbled throwing up his arms in defeat. "I'll get my old man on board and dump my girlfriend. I guess it was high time I got a new on anyway..."

"Hey." Matthew snapped. "That's no way to talk about a lady. You know how much I hate players Soren. Let her down gently please. Besides, I find it highly unlikely that you're going to find a girlfriend so soon after transferring. Even you're not that good."

Soren raised his hands in front of him defensively. "Hey I'm a nice guy. Don't worry I'll be sweet about it." He frowned as if something else was bothering him. "Although I wouldn't bet on that last bit. I am that good and you know it."

"Yea but I'm a hero." Alfred interjected. "So I'm automatically more amazing then you."

"In your dreams." Soren bit back, sticking out his tongue childishly. Alfred responded similarly, blowing raspberries at him and throwing a soft punch at Soren's shoulder.

"Awww come on I was only kidding." Alfred said sweetly, an innocent look adorning his face. "Besides how can I possibly beat a guy who writes poetry?"

Soren's face paled and he stopped dead in his tracks. Matthew threw Alfred a questioning look but he just stood there grinning at his shell-shocked friend.

"You..." Soren growled, taking a step forward. Alfred reached boldly into his back pocket and withdrew what looked like a small black notebook, waving it around in front of him.

"I mean no wonder you always have girls around you." He teased. "You're a regular Romeo huh?"

"You bastard!" Soren snarled, lunging toward the American. Alfred dodged fluidly out of the way, holding the notebook above his head. "Aww that's so sweet he's embarrassed." Alfred cooed as he backed away from the fuming Dane.

"Alfred..." Matthew warned meekly, inching away from the two of them. There was no way in heck he was getting involved in something like that, not between those two.

"I'm going to kill you!" Soren seethed, taking another swing at Alfred. Stumbling backwards to avoid contact with the much stronger blondes fist, Alfred realized he was faced with two choices. Give the note book back and get the shit beaten out of him, or opt for plan b: run. Really really fast. Spinning on his heels and still clasping the black book in hand, Alfred sprinted from his friend as fast as his legs would carry him, Soren hot on his heels the whole trip home screaming profanities from the top of his lungs and leaving a stunned Matthew standing alone on the cracking side walk shaking his head.

O ~ O ~ O

Emerald green eye's lit with curiosity, shifting to focus on the speaker. "So zat is 'ow it is." Francis explained, rubbing the back of his head and letting out an exasperated sigh. " 'Zey want you to enroll in 'zis school. Well actually zey want both of us to enroll but you know..." He trailed off, locking his gaze with the green-eyed boy. "So what do you think Arthur? Are you up for it?"

Arthur sighed deeply, sliding back in his chair.

"Yes alright. I'll enroll in this school." he replied, pushing himself up right, "It is after all, a great honor to be accepted there. And this..." He trailed of quietly, flicking his gaze to the half alight sky out a small window. "This could be the chance I've been waiting for Francis."

"Very well. I will inform zem of your decision." Francis said, nodding to the British boy in approval. "See you later then Arthur. And... don't hurry back to school. It has been nice and quiet since you got suspended."

"Bloody frog." Arthur growled. "I thought you were supposed to be my friend, eh? Besides if we really are going to be attending this new school it really doesn't matter does it?"

Francis rolled his eyes as he gathered up his coat off the soft red coach. "Well it is going to matter at zis new school so shape up would you?"

"Shouldn't I be the one telling you that?" Arthur jested. "You're Mr. get's around not me."

Francis chuckled, pulling the front door open and letting in a rush of cold air. "We 'ave our own problems Arthur. You deal with yours and then I'll deal mine." Without another word, the French boy stepped out the door and closed it behind him, the dull slam echoing in the room.

Arthur pushed himself out of his sagging blue chair and stood, stretching out his arms in a cat-like manner. "Hungry." He muttered, drifting towards his small kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, he frowned at the lack of food. He would have to go to the store. Shutting the door with a flick of his hand, he turned and shuffled toward his bedroom. Maybe a nap would do. Upon entering his room he plopped down on his small single bed, wrapping the union jack blanket around him. Life had been so dreadfully dull as of late for Arthur Kirkland. Nothing happened. Nothing ever did. He just walked through life in a daze watching the world spin by around him. Perhaps this new school was just what he needed. After all, it was what his family would want. He scowled, turning toward the picture frame on his bedside table and gently clasping his fingers around it. How many years had it been? Three, no four now. He sat up cross-legged in bed, setting the picture tenderly at his feet and running his fingers over the glass. Seven smiling faces stared up at him, one of them, being his own. He rubbed his thumb across the smooth wood of the frame, thinking back to that day of the picture.

"_Peter sit still it'll be over when it's over. No Scott you may not wear that shirt, go back and change. For goodness sakes Patrick can't you put that phone of yours down for two seconds? I don't care if you're texting your girlfriend, I wouldn't care if you were texting the prime minister. Pocket it now. Love, that tie doesn't match at all and it's crooked. You're as bad as your son. The photographer is going to arrive in ten minutes so hurry and change it. And where is Bryn? Arthur could you please go fetch your brother. He's probably hiding in his room."_

He chuckled quietly, smiling at the memory. From the picture, no one ever would have guessed that just five minutes before they were all running around in a tizzy as his mother frantically tried to get them ready. Arthur hadn't even believed that the picture would get taken. But there it was. Scott, Patrick and Bryn standing behind the sterile beige couch smiling, the younger two smiling innocently. Arthur snickered. They'd been arguing right up until the moment when the picture was taken. If it hadn't been for Scott, they would have been arguing in the picture too. Fortunately, the older red head was a quick (or rather violent) thinker and he effectively got the two to shut up and smile by clasping his arms around their shoulder s and pulling the three of them together into an awkward horizontal hug. If he looked carefully, Arthur could see the amount of pressure Scott's hands were putting on his brother's shoulders. No wonder they're arms ached for a week after that picture.

His mother and father sat on opposite ends of the couch, both smiling warmly. His mother's light green eyes twinkled right along with his fathers deep blue ones. He hadn't even noticed during the picture, but they'd been clasping each other's hands the whole time. Right over his shoulder. Because there he was, right smack dab in the middle of all of them with his youngest brother fidgeting on his lap and his parent's arms draped lovingly over his shoulders. Peter was smiling brightly on his lap, sky blue eyes alight with happiness as he clutched his older brothers hand. Like the boy didn't have a care in the world (despite the fact that two minutes before he'd been whining about how hungry he was). The whole scene was surreal. Like something out of a picture where the family was perfect, and there's, most certainly wasn't.

The thing that always surprised Arthur most about the picture however, was not how out of character his family appeared, but how out of character he seemed to be. Even now, as he stared at his own smiling expression, it didn't seem real to him. How long had it been since he'd smiled so purely like that? Not a half smile, or a nostalgic smile, or any of those other smiles. But that one. Had he ever even smiled like that before then? After then? He couldn't even remember now. It felt like so long ago, that time when he had been with his family. He felt his heart ache and reluctantly placed the photo back on his bedside table. He really did miss them. "Just you watch." He murmured. "I'm going to do this for all of you. Go to that school I mean. I'm going to make you proud of me again, I promise."

Rubbing his eyes tiredly he decided that he really ought to get to that nap and burrowed himself under his blanket again, thinking back on his expression in that picture. He laughed bitterly and shook his head against his pillow. The first person that can get me to smile like that again is the one I marry. He thought, sarcasm lacing his thoughts. Yawning loudly, Arthur closed his eyes and allowed his mind to drift off into sleep.

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N: **YAY! First chapter done ^^ if you find any issues with it (like grammar etc. I suck majorly at that…) Please tell me. Oh in case you didn't catch it, Soren is Denmark. I'd heard the name used before and it really stuck with me…. Oh and his last name I got randomly. It's a real last name but I don't think it was on his list for last names. Oh well. Oh and there were two little bits I included from another piece of literature… cookies for you if you pick up on both of them! Oh and on another note, this will be many more pairings then USUK (by that i mean other characters with other characters. no one get's between MY Alfred and arthur!) but I'm not going to tell you what they're going to be. This chapter was pretty short. Shorter then I had thoguht it would turn out, so rest assured the rest will be longer, much longer. OH! One more thing

Scott - Scotland Patrick- Northern Ireland Bryn- Wales and of course Peter is Sealand ^^ ah and I think I may have messed up Soren's name spelling but I'm not sure how *frowns* so if anyone knows how it should be spelled please tell me because I would love to fix it! Unless it's right. Then I'm very proud of myself :D

Final note! No offense is meant towards Canadians or Brits :) You have to understand this is Alfred we're talking about and it's just part of his personality. Although I do have to wonder why someone follow Hetalia if they really were offended so easily... Any who, next installment will be up as soon as I can manage :) Oh yea and i apologize for my fail french accent... *sigh* I'm going to have trouble writing for Francis for a little while.


	2. Rain and Run In's

**Disclaimer:** Oh the noes! No mine! **le gasp**

Thank you thank you thank you thank you oh my goodness thank you so much! I got so many more reviews and favorites for this one chapter then I even imagined getting! It means the world to me, you really have no idea ^^ so to:

MataHari-Chan, tornadoheart25, TheNinjaWangsta, Gearr, Ruichan134, Yami Ryo, England-sama, xXAliceKirklandXx, Lovely4Real, Alphine, Kisuchuu, Fish and Chips X Hamburgers, The Evil Dreamer, XXCrimsonBlueXx, CzerwonyMak, Sora Nadeshiko, tintenstern, ShouldaSeenThatOneComing

Thank you so so very much! I'm sorry if I misspelled any names or left anyone out! If I forgot anyone, your review/fave still mean the world to me :D

Lovely4Real: Thank you so much for the correction ^^ unfortunately I was already halfway through the chapter when i checked my email and saw what the correct spelling was so i just continued it that way. I do plan on going back and fixing it in both chapters though, so it's much appreciated that you told me how it's really spelled lol.

Right then. Onward!

O ~ O ~ O

Alfred lay back on his bed watching his ceiling fan spin lazily around, its efforts not even creating a breeze in his stuffy room. Just because it's cold outside doesn't mean the house needs to be at sauna temperatures. Alfred inwardly complained. His parents seemed to be under the impression that if the house wasn't at hell fire heat they would all freeze while they slept. Alfred had been driven to opening his window to the bitter cold on more then one occasion just so he wouldn't melt into a puddle. Rolling over on his sheets, he turned his attention to the pile of newly signed papers sitting on his desk. It had been fairly easy to get his parents on board with the new school idea. One look at who it was from and Alfred's explanation to where exactly he had been accepted and his parents couldn't sign the forms fast enough.

"This is so great honey!" His mother had cooed, ruffling his hair affectionately. "To think out little boy would be presented with such an honor!"

"I always told you that brain of yours would pay off son." His father said, looking over his paper. "Work hard and you can get anywhere. We expect to here good things about you from that school. You're going to graduate at the top of your class you can be sure of that." Alfred grinned, giving his dad an enthusiastic thumbs up. "You bet dad. Trust me I'm going to be the best."

"Oh dear do you need new clothes? Is there a uniform? Oh and what about all your things are you supposed to bring them? Will they feed you dear? What if they don't feed him Rick?" His mother fretted, sea green eyes pooling with worry.

"Lisa I'm sure they're going to feed him, don't worry." His father said, placing a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. "Everything will be fine. Alfred's a strong boy he can handle whatever they throw at him, right Al?" Alfred nodded.

"It'll be ok mom. Matthew and Soren are going too. So it's not like I'll be alone or anything. Besides, I'm a hero I can take care of myself." He assured her.

"Matthew's going?" he saw his mother visibly perk up and her face broke out into a smile. "That's good. Matthew is a good friend. I'm glad you two will be able to stay close."

"Sorens going to mom." He sighed, rolling his eyes at his mom's obvious favoritism amongst his friends. Her face fell slightly and she gave Alfred a gentle look.

"Just be careful with that one Alfred. I know he's your friend but I really think he's a bad influence on you."

"Way to be subtle mom." He grumbled, turning away from her.

"Lisa, Soren is a good kid. Don't put him down." His father said, putting his paper down with a frown. "He's a real trooper that one. Strong minded, confident. He's great to play football with too. Kid's got a hell of an arm and he's quick."

"You can't judge a person on their football skills darling." His mother replied, tapping her fingers on the table.

"Sure you can." His father responded. "You just don't know how. Besides if it weren't for Soren he'd only be hanging out with Matthew."

"What's wrong with just Matthew?" His mother shot back. "He's very sweet"

"He looks like a girl."

"What's wrong with that? It just means he takes good care of himself."

Alfred resisted the urge to slam his head against a wall and instead choose to quietly slip out of the room. It wasn't the first time his parents had debated about his friends and his guess was it wouldn't be the last either. His mom didn't like Soren. She thought he was to rough looking and got into to much trouble. His dad didn't like Matthew. He thought Matthew was to girly, to soft. So each put up with the other friend in order to keep the one they liked. It was like a trade off that Alfred had already consented himself to having no part of.

Sighing again, he decided that he should probably start packing and slid himself slowly off of his bed. Shuffling to his closet doors, he peered into the abyss and frowned. He didn't need clothes for the most part. Although I guess I should bring some other stuff to wear besides that stuffy uniform they're going to give me. He decided. He leaned down and dug through the piles of clothes amassing in his closet. Jeans, jeans, soccer shorts, jeans, jeans, hoodie, t-shirt, t-shirt, t-shirt, long sleeved shirt, long sleeved shirt, and long sleeved shirt. Tossing the articles of clothing his bedroom floor in an unkempt pile he nodded to himself, satisfied. "That out to do it." He said smiling at his quick work. Guess I better get my toothbrush and stuff. He thought. He slipped out of his room, tip toeing over the soft carpeting and stepping gingerly onto the cool tiles of the bathroom. So cold! His eyes lit up and he grinned mischievously. Maybe he'd just sleep here on the bathroom floor tonight. Shaking his head he walked quickly into the bathroom and pushed the door shut as quietly as possible, cringing at the click of the lock.

Tossing a glance at the wide mirror, he glimpsed his reflection and frowned. Shirtless and pant-less (reason for his sneaking to the bathroom. What would he do if his parents caught him walking around half naked?) he got a good look at himself for the first time in a while. He tended not to look in mirrors to much, because that was something that conceited people did and he was a hero and heroes were most certainly not conceited. Sure he'd see his face every morning and night when he brushed his teeth, and sometimes he'd get a glimpse of himself in reflections on glass, or some other mirror but he never really looked at himself. Because Alfred F. Jones was most definitely not conceited.

He turned so that his shoulder faced the mirror, glancing over his back and then turning around again to get a better look at himself. He looked a little taller then the last time he'd seen himself. Had he filled out a little? He couldn't tell. He'd lost a little of his tan, that much he noticed. Must be the damn lack of sunlight around here. He grumbled inwardly. His chest was smooth, hairless, just like his face leading Alfred to wonder if he was ever actually going to have to shave in his life. The rest of him looked as familiar as ever though. Blond locks same length as the had been when he'd seen them that morning, and still shining the same rich golden hue. He tugged on his persistent cowlick and chuckled. He'd had that thing his whole life. His parents even swore he was born with it, and he was inclined to believe them. When he was younger, his mother had always tried to get it to stay down, particularly during social events. But no matter now much water or gel or god only knew what else his mother had put on it, it just flipped right back up. Odd as it sounded, he was rather liked it, and that little curl at the top of his head was the thing about himself Alfred was the most proud of.

He nodded, giving himself another look over. His skin wasn't as smooth or pretty as Matthew's. His had little blemishes here and there, and a tiny scar on his chin from past acne, but over all it wasn't horrible. He wasn't as built as Soren, or as tall. And his jaw wasn't nearly as set or strong looking, as the Dane's but it was mediocre he supposed. He'd gotten his father's eyes and his mother's hair, not a bad combination, blonde and blue. He frowned, thinking about his eyes and focusing his attention on them in the mirror. "Ugh those glasses." He muttered. He'd despised them from the minute they'd been set on his face at the ripe age of eight. Granted, these weren't that same pair, he'd gone through several at this point, but glasses were glasses all the same. Two years prior, he'd begged his parents for contacts relentlessly. But when they finally gave in and he tried them for the first time, he, his parents, and his oh so informative doctor learned that Alfred's eyes couldn't handle the contacts and that he was going to have to stick with glasses.

He pulled them off his face and sighed. This really was a much more befitting look of a hero. It would be different if I just wore them for a disguise, like superman or something. He thought miserably. But he needed them all the time, and couldn't see a thing without them. Even now, he could just barely make out the features on his face, and he reckoned that the reason for that was only because it was something he recognized. He slid them back on to the bridge of his nose and pushed them up. He had yet to meet a person who said he looked better with his glasses on. Well, save for his own parents anyway, and that was only in their original efforts to get him to wear them. Even the girls at school who appraised him so highly for his looks, all agreed that he looked much better with out them on. He didn't even really care what they looked like. They just seemed wrong on him, and all they did was get in his way.

"The day I meet someone who honestly thinks these stupid things suit me is either the day I meet my soul mate or someone blinder then me." He joked, tilting the shining spectacles on his face. He paused; looking around the bathroom as if he'd just suddenly remembered something. "What did I come in here for again?" he asked aloud. "Oh! Toothbrush. Right." Snatching up the bristled object, he flicked off the lights on his way out the door and inched quietly towards his room.

"Alfred! We're having dinner in five minutes! Please come down and set the table." He shot a foot in the air at the sound of his mothers voice, and with a half hearted "Yes mom!" scrambled back to his room and slammed the door shut.

O ~ O ~ O

It was raining again, and a thick fog had settled over town making the already murky looking scene all the more water logged. It was Saturday morning, the day after the forms had been due to attend BNA and Alfred sat miserably on his front porch watching the rain pour down as he waited for his companions. The letter had informed them to meet at some fancy building in London, and not only that but it had requested that all students joining from the same school were to arrive together. And here he was an hour before the meeting was supposed to start and Matthew and Soren still had yet to arrive. "I wonder if they can even see the house through all this fog!" He exclaimed as the thought occurred to him.

Pulling his hood over his head, he stood from his crouching position on the damp wooden planks and raced out into his front yard. When he reached the street about one hundred feet out, he turned around and squinted. Nope, he could see the house perfectly fine, although the neighboring houses were a little hazy. The black shingles of the roof looked an impossibly dark shade thanks to the rain, and the white wood of the house just looked damp. His mother's flower garden wept against the strength of the water, drops sliding down the stems and leaves of the bright yellow marigolds. However the florescent red door to the house was easily visible through the fog, and Alfred could even vaguely make out his last name on the black mailbox to the side of the front steps.

"Yea they're just late." He grumbled, pulling his hood tighter around his hair. A twinge of fear shot through him and his eyebrows knitted in worry as he frowned. What if they weren't lost, what if they had gotten hurt? What if they crashed in the rain? What if they were in the hospital or worse dead somewhere? He felt his stomach grow nauseous at the thought of his friend's bodies lying on the side of the road. "Aw man I have to find them! I gotta save them!" That's right, this was no time to be panicked. He was a hero and e was definitely going to save his friends! Just as he was about to start down the sidewalk, the sound of sneakers slapping against the sidewalk reached his ears and he paused.

"Alfred!" A voice called from behind him. He turned to see his two friends sprinting down the sidewalk, the shorter one waving to him. "Sorry." Matthew panted as they caught up with him, leaning over to catch his breath. "I left a little late, and then Soren's dad was giving him a lecture as he walked out the door. And we had kind of figured he would drive us, but he had a meeting to go to all of a sudden so we ended up walking. Well running actually but we got here all the same. Anyway do you mind if we come in? We've been running for at least ten minutes and were soaked. And what are you doing out here? Why aren't you inside?"

"You idiots!" Alfred wailed, grabbing his friend's shoulders and shaking them back and forth. "I thought you were dead! You were supposed to be here half an hour ago! Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Soren snickered, peeling Alfred's hand off his soaking jacket. "You sound like a girl."

"Say's the guy who writes poetry." Alfred shot back.

Soren muttered something incomprehensible under his breath but other wise just crossed his arms.

"So Alfred, can we come in?" Matthew asked again, shifting the weight of his duffel bag on his shoulder. "You know instead of standing here and getting even more soaked?"

"Oh right sure!" Alfred grinned. "Come on then." He said starting towards his front door. The other two followed quickly behind him, more then happy to finally be out of the rain.

"Mom, Dad, Soren and Matty are here!" He called in, pushing the bright red door open. His mother popped her head out from the kitchen, smiling brightly.

"Come in, come in. The shuttle should be here soon, but you two are welcome to sit and dry off while you wait." She cocked her head, as if just noticing the sopping state of the boys' apparel.

"Goodness. You two really are soaked. Here now, give me those jackets I'll throw them in the dryer real fast for you. And Alfred can lend you both a pair of jeans if you'd like. You two must have been out there for a while." she said, looking them up and down.

Alfred heard Soren snicker and knew it was at the prospect of squeezing into his jeans.

"Yea yea sure mom. They're fine. The shuttle will be here in like ten minutes right? We'll be up in my room, call us down when it comes ok?" He muttered, pushing past his mother. Matthew gave Mrs. Jones a polite smile (Soren was still grinning like he was enjoying a good joke) and the two followed Alfred up the familiar stairs and into his room.

"Sorry about her." Alfred sighed, trying to mask his embarrassment. "She's kind of pushy sometimes."

"I think she's very kind to offer something like that." Matthew admitted, patting his friends back in assurance. "Even if you know, neither of us would be able to actually wear your jeans."

"I wouldn't want you to wear my jeans, trust me." Alfred laughed. "So." He said, plopping down on his bed, "What did you guys bring anyway?"

"A couple pairs of pants, shirts, jackets, cell phone, iPod, video games, oh and our red notebook Alfred." Soren replied, rummaging through his onyx duffel bag. "And you know, tooth brush tooth paste, all the other crap."

"I brought basically the same." Matthew said, pulling his maroon bag off his shoulder and setting it on the soft white carpet. "Except no video games or anything, and I brought kuma."

Alfred and Soren tossed each other an exasperated look. "Matty you've had that thing since I met you when we were like, eleven. And you had it before that to." He gripped his friend's shoulder firmly, a concerned look pulling at his features. "It's time to let the bear go."

"No way!" Matthew cried, hugging his bag close to him. "Kuma is my bear! I can't just leave him behind! I don't go anywhere without kuma!"

Alfred sighed, forcing a frown to his face. "Well then I guess there's only one thing left to do."

Soren quirked his eyebrow in interest, while Matthew just continued to grip the bag tightly. "I'll have to take it!" Alfred cried, jumping at his friend. Matthew let out a terrified shriek and held his hands up to block himself from the attacking American, effectively dropping the bag in the process.

"Soren get it!" Alfred yelled as he pinned the Canadian down. In a desperate attempt to shove Alfred off, Matthew kneed him in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain clutching his winded gut. "Hey that hurt! You jerk!" He choked out, rubbing his sore stomach. But Matthew wasn't listening, because he had already snatched up his duffel bag, sprinted out the door, and was running out into the rain in an attempt to get as far away from his bear snatching friends as he could possibly get.

O ~ O ~ O

"Come on Matty it was a joke." Alfred pleaded, rubbing the back of his neck. "We're sorry, honest."

"We?" Soren interjected. "I don't remember ever asking to be part of your stupid plan."

"Oh shut up." Alfred hissed, shoving the Dane lightly and then turning his attention back to the sniffing Canadian. "Really Matty I'm sorry. I won't take your bear ok? Come on please don't cry!" He fretted. What kind of a hero was he, making his best friend cry? They'd been driving along in the shuttle for about ten minutes, all ten of them used on Alfred desperately trying to get Matthew to stop his sobbing. As soon as they'd realized their friend had bolted, Soren and Alfred had sprinted out the door after him bags in hand. It was just their luck that the shuttle had decided to show up right then. Alfred had yelled a brief goodbye to his parents through the rain, and climbed into the gray van after the other two. As the car rolled away, he tossed them a wide smile through the window and waved back at them as they stood on the porch avoiding the falling water. It wasn't any big deal. He would call them when they got to the building, or what ever it was. Right now, he had to worry about his miserable friend.

"Would you shut him up?" The man driving muttered gruffly. "Really boy, put a lid on it."

"You shut up." Soren snarled, glaring pointedly at the driver. Alfred smiled gratefully at him, glad that the Dane was lending a hand. "And you," Soren said suddenly, looking at Matthew, "It's ok, that you love your bear. Alfred was just being a moron as usual. Ignore him."

Matthew sniffed loudly, rubbing his eyes. "Really?" He murmured, hugging the stuffed polar bear tightly to his chest. Soren nodded. "Really. Doubly on the Alfred being a moron part."

"Hey!" Alfred cried indignantly, shoving Soren roughly. "I'm not a moron! I got accepted to this school same as you two!"

"Alfred. You are a lot of things. Book smart is one of them. Street smart is most definitely not." Soren sighed, holding him back. Matthew giggled, laughing into the fur of his bear.

"Jerk." Alfred muttered, crossing his arm and protruding his bottom lip into a pout.

"You'll live." Soren said, rolling his eyes. "Hey man," He called addressing the driver. "How much longer 'till we're there?"

"We'll get there when we get there." The old man snapped. "Now quit your antics I'm trying to drive here."

"Touchy." Alfred hissed quietly in Soren's ear. Soren only nodded, keeping his icy gaze focused on the back of the mans head, as if he was trying to bore a hole in it.

"Anyway Matty," Alfred said turning back to the smaller blond. "I really am sorry." Matthew shrugged, leaning his head against the cool glass of the window.

"It's alright. I overreacted. It's more my fault then yours." He tossed his friend a nervous grin. "But if you could keep this whole thing just between the three of us, that would be nice. I don't really want our new classmates thinking I'm some sort of crybaby or something."

"You?" Alfred cried, clutching his chest. "Why that's absurd. You're like, the toughest guy I know. Well except for me but that's 'cause I'm a hero!" Alfred ignored the snort of amusement from Soren and petted Matthews's white bear softly. "Besides, I think it'd be kind of nice to have something to cuddle once in a while. Although, I would keep it hidden if I were you, unless you want those type of rumors to start spreading again."

Alfred watched as Matthew struggled to keep a horrified expression off of his face. "But, you don't really think the kids at this school will be the same do you? They wouldn't!"

"Teenagers are teenagers no matter where you go Matthew." Soren muttered wryly. "There's bound to be a couple, even in a high end school, that will bug you about it. Just don't let it bother you. You're good at that. And if it get's as bad as it did before..." He trailed off, eyes narrowed as he glanced at Matthew around Alfred. "I'll deal with it ok? We both will just like before."

Alfred nodded enthusiastically. "Yea that's right! Don't worry Matty we got your back," He grinned, fisting his hand into the air. "Believe it. Everything's gonna be just fine." Matthew smiled gratefully at his friends, hugging the white bear closer to his chest.

"Speaking of the other kids, what do you think they'll be like?" Soren asked, tipping hid head to the side. "I mean, do you think we're like, the only normal ones?"

"What do you mean by normal?" Matthew asked, rolling his eyes. "Cause last time I checked two boys barreling down the street yelling profanities at each other wasn't normal."

"You know what I mean!" Soren sighed, exasperation dripping from his voice. "I mean like, will they all be boring and stuff? Like, will they actually be fun to hang around? Or will they be like those guys at school who practically lived in the library?"

"Aw man I hope they're fun!" Alfred cried, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Maybe there will be another American there! Dude how sick would that be?"

"Or another Dane." Soren added.

"Or a Canadian!" Matthew smiled. "That would be so nice." The boys nodded thoughtfully, imagining getting to meet another person from their own countries.

"Well." Alfred finally said, breaking the silence. "Its still like, half and hour 'till we get there and I'm zonked. So wake me when we're there ok?" He yawned, stretching his arms out and settling comfortably against the back of his seat. He heard Soren utter a muffled, "alright." and a clear "sure Alfred." from Matthew before he closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off, dreaming of the people he was to meet as he lay comfortably sandwiched between his two friends.

O ~ O ~ O

"Alfred! Alfred!" Alfred tightened his eyes in annoyance. Why was his mom waking him up? It was Saturday for god's sake. "Five more minutes." He grumbled, curling himself into a ball to avoid the further bombardment of his eardrums.

"Alfred! We're here wake up!" The voice rung clearer now and Alfred frowned, furrowing his eyebrows. Matty? What was he doing in his house?

"Gud damn det vågne op!" His eye's shot open and he felt himself shoot nearly a foot off the seat at the sound of Soren's angry voice. He didn't have a clue what he'd said, but when he yelled in Danish it was never good.

"All right I'm up I'm up!" he cried, flinching away from the scowling Dane. "What's the problem?"

"We're here dumb ass." Soren growled, snatching Alfred up by the front of his jacket.

"Hey hey what are you doing? Let me go!" Alfred hissed, struggling to pry his friend's hands off of him. Soren dragged the thrashing American out of his seat, bag and all, and dropped him as Alfred's feet hovered over the soaking pavement.

"We've been standing in the rain for five damn minutes trying to wake you up." Soren snapped, jabbing Alfred harshly in the forehead. "We're here."

Eyed wide in surprise, Alfred let out a weak "oh," and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Sorry can wait. Let's get out of the rain before we're soaked again." Matthew pleaded.

Alfred nodded. "Yea probably a good idea huh?" Turning back to the driver and giving him a polite head tilt, (the man cursed under his breath but didn't say anything other wise) he slammed the door shut and took off toward the first door he saw, friends trailing behind him.

They sprinted through sliding glass doors, sneakers squeaking against beautiful cream colored tiles and wetting the floor. A few people tossed them irritated glances, but turned back to whatever it was they were doing. "Damn I wish it would stop raining." Alfred grumbled shaking himself off. Soren and Matthew could only nod in agreement as they proceeded to squeeze the water out of their clothes.

"Ok so where are we supposed to be going anyway?" Alfred asked curiously, peering around the large room. "Is there anyone here to give us a hand?"

The room in question was more like a beautiful lobby. Intricate roman stylized columns lined the sides, while a beautiful raised ceiling stretched across the entirety of the room. The tile that they had slipped on was not tile at all, but pure shining cream colored stone with not a crack in it. A long marble desk stretched across the room, and behind it, stood busy looking people in uniforms. People stood in lines in front of the tables, while others bustled by them, leaving the grand room through doors that lay between the stone columns or stepping into a pair of shining elevators just to their right. The boys looked around weakly, trying to establish where exactly it was they were supposed to be, and who they were looking for amongst all the passerby's.

"Excuse me?" The polite voice of a young woman resonated from behind them, and they turned abruptly, surprised by the contact. "Are you three here for the BNA meeting?"

Eyes pooling with the relief, the boys nodded vigorously smiling gratefully at the woman.

"Yea that's us." Alfred responded, hoisting his bag on his shoulder. "Sorry we're all wet. It's raining cats and dogs out there."

The woman gave him and odd look, but smiled pleasantly, nodding at him. "Oh don't worry about the water. We'll have it cleaned up. What's more important is the three of you are late."

"We're late?" Matthew cried. The woman nodded again.

"Yes. Fortunately, the chair decided to give you three a few extra minutes to arrive." She glanced down at the watch on her hand before raising her eyes and smiling broadly again. "You all have 4 minutes to get up to the conference room before you're denied entry."

"Holy fucking shit!" Alfred swore loudly, gaining the attention of a few passerby's. "You gonna tell us what room it's in?"

The young woman frowned at Alfred's brashness but gave him a slight nod. "Yes. It's in room 1010. Tenth floor, tenth room obviously."

"Thank you!" Alfred called over his shoulder already running for one of the large elevators. Soren took off immediately after him and after a gracious smile, so did Matthew. Alfred pounded at the up button furiously, jabbing it repeatedly as if it would make the elevator move faster. "Come one come on come on!" He muttered pressing at the glowing white button with even more vigor. Finally, the doors chimed and the three stumbled into the elevator smacking the tenth floor button and close door button simultaneously. The elevator started up slowly and they watched the numbers change as they moved from floor to floor.

"If it stops I fucking swear." Soren growled, clenching his bag tightly. Fortunately it kept moving, and finally, the elevator began to slow and with a whoosh the metal doors slid open revealing a long hallway.

"Damn it gotta find the room!" Alfred hissed, eyes flicking from side to side.

"There, at the end." Matthew called out to his already sprinting friends as he tried to catch up. With a final burst of speed they skidded to a halt in front of a pair of large double doors. "This is it right?" Matthew inquired, checking the room label on the side. The plaque read 1010, just as they had been told. Without another word, they swung the doors open theatrically and burst into the room, hands on their knees and panting hard.

"Ah." A friendly voice greeted them. "Looks like the three of you made it just in time." Alfred raised his eye's to meet those of the man who had spoken, an apology ghosting his lips. He was however, met not with the warm friendly eyes of an older man, but the angry emerald ones of a boy. He leapt away in alarm, stumbling backwards into his friends but gaze still locked with greens eyes that seemed as if they were trying to burn holes in him.

"It was good of you three to finally arrive. I was beginning to worry something had happened." Narrowing his eyes, Alfred tore them away from the other boys and turned politely to the man speaking. He looked old, but not ancient by any means. About his 50's or 60's if Alfred guessed correctly. He wore a warm smile that crinkled his light brown eyes and caused vivid crows feet to etch themselves on his face. He looked as if he was balding slightly, and his hair was dusted black and white, like salt and pepper. Walking up to the startled boys, he extended a hand to Alfred.

"It's a pleasure to meet the three of you at last." He said, grasping Alfred's hand firmly and shaking it. "As you can see, the other students are already here so I suppose we should get right to introductions, shouldn't we?" He took Soren and Matthews's hands next, shaking the small Canadians hand so vigorously Alfred was sure he was going to pull his arm off.

"Right then. You boys sit down over next to me, and we'll start with names." he said warmly, striding back to the other end of the long table. "Come on then. Don't be shy."

The boys exchanged uncertain looks, but quickly gathered up their bags and walked quietly to the three chairs next to him, passing the others as they went, but at this point taking little to no notice of their surroundings as they sat.

"Alright. Let's start with these three then." He boomed, addressing the rest of the table. He turned to Alfred, nodding to him. "Go ahead lad. Give us your name first."

Alfred swallowed nervously, but turned his mouth upward into a broad grin. "Well ok then." He beamed. Jumping out of his chair, he set his hands firmly on the table and looked out over the others. There weren't to many of them. About fifteen total, including himself, Matthew and Soren. As he scanned the crowd, his gaze was drawn instantly to a familiar pair of eyes, the same ones that had been glaring him down from the moment he'd set foot in the room. He shifted his eyes away in annoyance. What the hell was that guy's problem? He didn't even want to look at that kid, for fear that the rest of him was just as menacing. Instead, he turned his attention to the other half of the room and forced any thought of the mysterious boy out of his head.

"My name's Alfred. Alfred Jones. I'm actually from America but..." He trailed off shrugging his shoulders apologetically. "You all could probably tell that already huh? Most people can." He turned to the chairman who nodded in approval and motioned for him to sit down.

"Very good then Alfred, it is a pleasure to meet you. How about you?" He said, turning to Matthew. The Canadian squeaked in surprise and turned a pleading glance at Alfred as if asking him what he was supposed to say. Alfred shrugged, pointing for him to stand up. Matthew was tough. He was fierce and brave when he wanted to be, and could punch anyone's lights out if given the chance. But he could also be painfully shy and meek, especially when it came to people he didn't know well. Alfred watched his friend stand slowly, gaze flitting nervously around the room.

"Um, hello. My name's Matthew Williams. I'm um, not actually from Britain either. I'm from Canada." He murmured, eyed focused pointedly on the oaken table in front of him.

"Matthew. It's very good to meet you as well. Come on then, lets keep moving I want everyone's names in so that we can get to the most important parts." The chairman said, still smiling.

Matthew nodded weakly, lowering himself down into his chair.

"Do you speak French?" The question came abruptly, echoing through the room. A blonde boy with shoulder length hair stood across from them, eyes pinned on Matthew and head tilted in curiosity. Matthew glanced nervously over to the chairman, as if asking for his permission to answer. The man nodded, causing Matthews face to fall. Alfred forced himself to keep from smacking his head against the desk. Couldn't he see that Matthew was uncomfortable? Why did he tell him to answer the question when he clearly wanted to sit down?

"Um, ah well..." Matthew stuttered, fumbling nervously with his hands.

"Yea he does. What of it?" Alfred interjected, rising in his chair and glaring at the other boy. He saw some of the others turn to each other, exchanging harsh whispers and glancing up at him every couple seconds. Its fine. He thought. Its nothing I'm not already used to. Matthews eyes were wide with surprise at Alfred's intrusion, and Alfred watched him glance uncertainly back at the other boy, waiting for a response at Alfred's interruption.

He was frowning, eyes flitting between Matthew and Alfred as if he was unsure as to whom he should address. "I am pretty sure 'zat I addressed 'im not you." The boy finally retorted, folding his arms. Turning his eyes away from Alfred, he looked back and Matthew curiously.

"Pouvez-vous me répondre cette fois, mon chéri?"

Alfred watched as Matthew turned and interesting shade of pink and look down at his hands.

"A-Ah, oui, je parle français. Je suis d-desole pour mon ami." He mumbled refusing to look anywhere but at the floor.

"Matty." Alfred hissed, jabbing his friend in the side. "You don't have to answer him."

"I don't believe that's any of your business is it?"

Alfred tensed, tearing his eyes away from his friend to look to the new voice that had spoken. He felt his blood run cold at the realization that he was looking right back into the cold iridescent eyes that had greeted him upon his entry. He felt bile rise in his throat as he realized that the rest of the boy was just as cold looking as his eyes were. He looked short. Taller then Matthew, but certainly not as tall as himself. His skin was pale, emphasizing the icy glint of his eyes and creating stark contrast to his hair. He was blond. Dirty blonde, and with hair that was mussed in every seemingly possible direction, as if he had gotten out of bed that way. He wore a tattered gray jacket over a white t-shirt and jeans so dark Alfred couldn't tell if they were blue or black. The thing that most closely drew his attention however, was not the state of his apparel, but rather the two small glinting dots that he could make out at the lobe of each ear.

Alfred forced his disgust down, knuckles whitening as he clenched them at his sides. He was like the epitome of every thing he hated. A punk. A selfish, rotten to the core indecent who didn't give a shit about anyone but himself. Alfred guessed he wouldn't even grab a kite out of a tree for a crying child. Heck he would probably be the one who put it there. He didn't even know his name, but at that moment, Alfred knew at that he had never loathed any body more in his entire life.

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:** Oh dear this needs so much editing… sigh. Oh well it is what it is for now, and I really just wanted to get this chapter up :) So they finally met! Yay? I'm sorry for not putting any real focus on the other characters in the room but at this point they're a little irrelevant especially considering Alfred doesn't even know Arthur's name yet haha. Hmm so what do you think of Arthur? I really should smack Alfred for making accusations about people based on appearance lol xD But I guess that's just the way he is huh? I'm glad there are so many of you that are happy that Alfred is actually going to be smart ^^ of course there is the fact that no matter how smart, he's still Alfred and I refused to take away the idiot deep inside of him lol. And I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who were happy that denmark is around! I honestly wasn't even thinking about it when I added him, I just thought he would add to the group dynamic and that I could picture he and Alfred being friends, so I'm glad you all like him so much!

Alright the French and Dutch. And other languages I'm going to butcher. I am 100% monolingual. I took spanish for four years, and I didn't retain a word of it, that's how horrible with language I am. So in light of that google translate is my friend. So. If the French is wrong or the Dutch is wrong or any of the other languages I may or may not speak in are wrong please tell me so I can fix it :D Next chapter up as soon as I can. I'm so happy this one was longer lol. Oh and here are the translations:

Gud damn det vågne op: God damn it wake up! (I believe this actually means something in Swedish too... something really odd XD So i apologize for that and really someone please help! **is wacked with peace prize**)

Pouvez-vous me répondre cette fois, mon chéri: Can you answer me this time, my darling?

oui, Je parle français français. Je suis d-desole pour mon ami: yes, I-I can speak French. I'm s-sorry for my friend.


	3. Name's and Nuisance's

**Disclaimer:** I do not own. Sadly.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and/or favorited ^^ I hope this chapter clears some thing's up. Onward then!

And thank you so so soooo much to ForeverTwin611 who showed me how to get rid of the stupid error message and update! I would be lost without them! :D Because of all the past time i should have a couple chapters up in the next few days.

O ~ O ~ O

Arthur narrowed his eye's furiously at the American, curling his hands tightly into fists and vigorously resisting the urge to punch him. The nerve of that insufferable twat! Bursting in the door like they hadn't been waiting around for ages and then having the nerve to act so high and mighty. He hissed through his teeth as he watched Alfred glare back at him, cobalt blue eyes locking with his own. They sparked with ferocity and daring, as if the idiot was actually goading him, trying to get him to attack him.

To some extent, Arthur couldn't really explain the feeling tearing at his gut, or why it was even there. All he knew was the moment he'd first locked eyes with the American he'd hated him. He couldn't help his interjection into the conversation. He could honestly have cared less about what Francis had to deal with. It was his problem and under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have even batted an eyelash.

But the moment Alfred F. Jones had stood, he felt a sudden rise of annoyance, and the blondes forced involvement into a problem that wasn't his own bothered him to no end. So he stood. And he spoke. And now here they were, glaring at each other across the table like a cat and a dog.

"You stay the fuck out of this." The American snarled, visibly clenching his fists. Arthur sneered at him, narrowing his eyes further. He opened his mouth to shoot back a retort, but before he could get out as much as a letter a voice interjected his own.

"That is quite enough of that." The chairman boomed from the head of the table. "Now all of you sit down immediately. If I hear another peep out of you, you're all out do you understand? I need all of your names still, so we're going to do this the quick and easy way called taking roll."

Reluctantly, and with a last glare in the other boy's direction, Arthur sank back into his chair and turned his eyes away. When he finally felt as if Alfred's eyes were no longer boring holes in his skull, he shifted his gaze to the young American and bit his tongue. Even his appearance was obnoxious, now that he honestly took a better look at him.

How could someone that looked as dumb as him possibly have gotten accepted into a school like BNA? He screamed idiot rugby player, from his height to his build, even right down to his sharp features and quick temper. He tossed a glance at Francis who wore something of a bemused expression on his face as he watched the scene across the table play out.

The chairman was sifting through papers, most likely looking for something like an attendance sheet, while Alfred Jones was whispering harshly in the Canadians ear. Matthew kept nodding, occasionally mouthing a few unreadable words of his own and frequently turning to the tallest of the three, who's name hadn't been announced but he'd come in with those two so he couldn't be anyone special. The rest of the room pulsed with dull murmurings amongst the students who knew each other, and continuous glances over the table at the others sitting amongst them.

"Here we go. Attendance sheet." The chairman said suddenly, pulling up a piece of paper. "Right then. Alphabetical order." He proclaimed, coughing into his hand. "Please stand when I call your name."

"Gilbert Beil-"

"Here!" A loud voice interrupted, followed by the clang of a chair. Arthur pursed his lips. Was everyone at this bloody school going to be as rude as that American? The boy who stood was tall, but held the same lithe features that Arthur himself held so dear. His skin was pale, almost iridescent leaving him to wonder if the boy's skin was actually white. Then there was his hair, which actually WAS white.

It shone a silvery color, and was cut in bristling bangs that swept across his forehead. Arthur could barely contain his surprise at sight of the boy's hair, and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Was he albino? He certainly looked it, for his eyes were as foreign as his hair. They looked to be a deep hue of brown, so brown perhaps, that they were actually red. A self-confident smirk adorned his face, revealing two rows of shining white teeth and alighting those strange colored eyes.

"Just so you all know, I'm a thousand times more awesome then you guys! So remember that." He boasted. Falling back into his chair, he raised his legs and let his feet hit the table with a clunk.

Great another egocentric moron. He seethed internally. Was he to get no peace at this school? Wasn't BNA supposed to be a school for smart students?

"Thank you for the introduction Mr. Beilschmidt but just a 'here' will do next time." The chairman sighed dryly. Arthur heard an indignant snort from Gilbert but other wise nothing was said. The chairman's eyes wandered back to the paper, and Arthur watched him frown curiously.

"Ludwig Beilschmidt?" He asked, staring pointedly back at Gilbert. Arthur felt a twinge of curiosity nip at his gut. That couldn't be a coincidence. So there was another one of him? His eyes were drawn to the seat next to Gilbert's as a broad, sharp-featured blonde stood. "Here." He replied in a hard-edged voice. The chairman tossed him an inquisitive look (along with the rest of the room) and he nodded slightly.

"Yes. Gilbert is mien bruder. He's a year up from me."

Arthur bit back his surprise. Not at the fact that the two were bothers, an imbecile could have figured that out. Rather, that the group consisted of more then first years. He'd been under the impression that they were only scouting freshmen. And there was another thing. He narrowed his eyes, thinking back on the boy's sentence. That accent. It sounded... German? And if Gilbert was his brother, that meant that he was German too. How had they managed to get so many foreigners? He was beginning to wonder if he was the only true Briton in the room.

The chairman gave a brief nod at Ludwig, and the German sat back next to his brother.

"Francis Bonnefoy."

Arthur shifted his eyes to his friend, watching him as he stood for the second time.

"Here."

His eyes darted to Matthew (avoiding contact with Alfred at all cost) wondering if there would be any reaction out of the boy. He couldn't see any. The Canadian kept his eyes pointed towards the ground as if no one had spoken. He glanced up at Francis and saw his mouth had pulled into a tiny frown as he sunk back into his chair and crossed his arms. He looked mildly perturbed and although Arthur was curious as to why, he didn't dare disturb the quiet of the room. I'll have to ask him about it later. He thought, stealing another glance at his friend's downcast face.

"Ivan Braginsky?" The chairman called out.

A boy two empty seats down from him stood, and Arthur shuddered. He loomed over the table, and everything around it like the shadow of a skyscraper. His hands were enormous, monstrous things, and Arthur didn't even want to think about what kind of damage he'd inflicted with them. His eyes, just barely visible through the curtain of his platinum blonde hair, shone an eerie violet alit with a terrifying glint. Arthur had been wary of him the moment the boy had sat those few seats down, and had turned promptly to face Francis when he had, not liking his aura.

"Da. I am here." Ivan responded. Arthur took note at the thick Russian accent that flowed out with his words. Great. More foreigners. Not only that, but yet another kid who looked like a delinquent. What the heck kind of school was this anyway?

"Antonio Carriedo?"

"Here!" A voice chirped from the far side of the room. The brunette that had been sitting on the other side of Gilbert stood, a cheerful smile alighting his face. He seemed all right. Definitely Spanish though. He thought. He felt a light prodding at his shoulder and gave Francis an exasperated look. "What is it?" he hissed quietly, leaning towards his friend.

"Of all 'ze peoples of Europe, Spaniards disgust me 'ze least." Francis chuckled in his ear. Arthur rolled his eyes and resisted the temptation to shove him.

"Oh yea then what am I?" He shot back.

Francis shrugged. "You are Anglettere. Your food sucks and you are a pain. What else is 'zere to it?"

"Bloody frog." Arthur snarled under his breath as he turned his attention back to the roll call.

"Roderich Edelstein?"

"I am present." It's speaker, who had been sitting next to Ludwig, stood rigidly and gave the chairman a polite nod before sitting quickly down again. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, someone calm and normal. At least he looked like he belonged here, which was more then Arthur could say for a handful of the others. He was dressed in an elegant manner; clean white dress shirt, black dress pants. His skin looked smooth, and his hair looked tended to, save for a strand that still managed to curl upwards. He practically oozed class, and Arthur felt himself at peace that there was at least one other member among them that seemed sociable. Or at least mildly civilized.

"Elizaveta Héderváry?"

"I'm here." Arthur's eye's widened in surprise and his head snapped in the direction of the voice. Was that... a girl he'd heard? He hadn't even realized that there had been a girl among them, although in his defense he hadn't really looked around. But there she was, standing next to a pair of boys with brown hair and smiling politely. No wonder he hadn't noticed she was there. She didn't really look much like a girl.

Her hair was relatively short, pulled back in a messy ponytail that let her bangs fall around the sides of her face haphazardly holding the appearance not of a young lady who spent time on her hair, but of a boy who woke up and jumped out of bed. Her features were boyish too. Not sharp or ridged like a mans by any means, but childish at first glance, reminding him very much of Bryn's face. She was also very... straight, her body structure reminding him much more of a boy then of a young lady. Perhaps that was why he hadn't realized she'd been there.

"Whoa you're a chick?" Gilbert snickered viciously. "Could have fooled me."

"Mr Beil-"

"Bastard." Elizaveta spat, cutting the chairman off. "Who asked you anything?"

"Aww did i make you mad? Sorry babe but I don't make it a habit to lie." Gilbert replied, crossing his hands behind his head non-chalantly. Elizaveta's face glowed red and she made a move that suggested she was going to jump across the table at him.

"Ve Elizabeta don't!" One of the two brunettes that were seated behind her stood, snatching her hand. "Just ignore him ok?" Tossing Gilbert a sour look, she reluctantly lowered back into her chair.

"Honda Kiku?"

"I am here." a voice responded softly. A small Asian boy stood, bowing politely to the chairman before slinking back into his seat. He doesn't waste any time. Arthur thought appreciatively. The boy, Honda or Kiku he wasn't sure, had short black hair deep brown hooded eyes, and a solemn, almost sad air about him. Arthur felt a twinge in his gut, eyes widening. He wasn't from Japan was he?

"Alright then." The chairman coughed. "Let's see who..." He trailed off frowning, and then took his pencil and checked off the name. Dismissing his earlier thoughts, he turned his attention back to the matter at hand. If he checked off the name without asking, there were only two people in the room whose names it could have been. And since Williams was at the end of the Alphabet, it could only have been Alfred Jones. Which meant that his name would be showing up soon.

"Arthur Kirkland?"

Speak of the devil. He thought. Rolling his eyes. It just figured their names would be right after one another. He tossed Francis a sideways glance. The French boy was looking at him expectantly, and Arthur could almost here Francis telling him to stand up. He bit his lip. What was he so nervous about? He was Arthur Kirkland. He didn't get nervous any more. Right?

"Arthur Kirkland? Are you here?"

Sighing, he pushed himself to his feet, immediately there after shoving his hands in his pockets. He could feel all the eyes in the room turn to him, inspecting him, trying to read him. "That's me." He said finally, eyes shifting to make contact with the chairman. The chairman quirked a surprised eyebrow.

"Kirkland? Now that's interesting. You wouldn't happen to have had any connection to..." He trailed off shaking his head. "No I'm sorry lad please ignore an old man." he laughed. Arthur nodded politely, heart pounding furiously in his chest. That was close. That had been to damn close. He smiled. "You're British, aren't you son? You're the Briton? It's good to meet you."

The Briton? He though, confused. What does he mean by the Briton?

"Thank you sir." He replied, still confused, as he sunk back into his chair. Francis was looking at him, smirking lightly. Arthur glared sternly at him, and the boy flitted his eyes away although the small grin remained.

"Soren Mathisen?"

The tall blonde that had been sitting next to Alfred stood. "Yea here." He muttered as he slunk back into his seat. At least he seemed mildly quiet. Nothing like his friend. So at least Arthur hoped.

"Berwald Oxenstierna?"

Arthur watched as yet another tall blonde rose from his seat. He towered nearly as high as the Russian boy, (Ivan was it?) and like him, he had arrived alone. He looked far older then any of them, at least 16 if not 17 years old, and held a pensive air about him furthering Arthur's estimate of both his age and his maturity.

" 'M he'r" He responded gruffly. Arthur blinked, filtering the words through his head and trying to make sense of them. The boy (if he could be called that) had an incredibly thick accent, one that Arthur decided he couldn't quite place. The chairman seemed just as taken back as Arthur, and only nodded swiftly to the boy before moving on to the next name.

"Feliciano Vargas?"

"Ve that's me!" The brunette that had previously held Elizaveta back bounced to his feet smiling brightly. Arthur watched as a curl off the side of his hair bounced along with him and was mildly curious as to how the heck he got his hair to do that. He looked a little dopey. Not like a bad kid or anything just not a particularly bright one and Arthur rolled his eyes at the seemingly reoccurring trend. "And this is my big brother Lovino! He's next on your list right?" He asked happily, pointing the darker haired boy sitting next to him.

"Oy Feliciano let him do his job. And I can introduce myself damn it!" Lovino scowled, standing and crossing his arms defiantly. "And it's Romano." He corrected, eyes fixed on the chairman. "Got that? R.O.M.A.N.O."

"Ve fratello why do you always go by your middle name? It's confusing when I call you lovino and everyone else calls you Romano!" The chestnut haired brunette whined, tugging on his brother's arm.

"Then you can call me Romano to," he snapped, shaking his brother off his shoulder. "Are we done now? Can we sit down?" He growled. The chairman nodded slowly.

"Ah yes, please go ahead. Erm..." He trailed off turning back t the list. "Tino... Tino... He scrunched his eyebrows. "V..."

"Väinämöinen" A boy chirped from a couple seats down. "That's me. You don't have to use my last name, almost no one can get it right," he laughed. The small blonde rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, wide brown eyes shining brightly. The chairman nodded, what seemed to be relief pooling in his eyes. "Ah thank you Tino. You may sit down. Now then..."

"Wang Yao?" He called.

A small Asian boy who had been sitting next to Kiku, rose. His hair was long, tied back in a ponytail that swung across his back like a waterfall. He was taller then kiku, but just as fragile looking as the other boys, with wide eyes and a soft face.

"I am here." He responded, taking his seat swiftly. He seemed as serious as the other boy, although not with the same gentleness about him.

"Lukas Wilhelmsen?"

"Here." A voice responded casually. Arthur peered across the room, waiting for someone to stand, but no one did. The chairman let out a deep sigh.

"Please stand." He said. Arthur watched as a figure at the other end of the room slid to his feet. Another small blonde. His eyes were cold ceil blue, set in a stony and exasperated expression.

"Happy?" The boy muttered icily. The chairman nodded, pleased grin on his face.

"Yes very much." He responded, glancing back at the list as the boy sat. "And the last..." He said, eyes turning to the young Canadian. "We already know." Standing and placing the paper on the desk, he looked out over them. "Now. Down to business. Let me first begin by welcoming every one of you to our prestigious academy. We hope that you will find the experience an endearing and insightful one." Arthur thought he heard a snort, but if the chairman did he choose to ignore it.

"The 18 of you have been called from many different schools spanning all across the country of Britain, from Wales to Northern Ireland. Like you, there are many other students across the country that have chosen to enroll in this academy. And like wise, in other nations across the world, are schools similar to our own that are doing the same thing. The other students here in Britain, have all been called together on this day in groups of 18 just as you are."

"Why 18?" Antonio piped up.

"I'm getting to that. You see, for the remainder of your schooling, the lot of you will be living in one house. As a team, and as something of a family."

"WHAT?" The outburst was resounding. Nearly every student in the room, including himself, had stood to voice their protests.

"You have got to be kidding me! He's kidding right?" Gilbert seethed.

"All of the students in the academy are compiled into houses such as yours. Each house, or team as you would have it, has a name, as well as one unifying thing that connects them. The 18 of you have not been called into this group randomly. In fact, I am proud to announce that you all are the first completely multi cultural team that has ever attended our academy."

Arthur blanched feeling his heart drop in his stomach. "Wait you mean I'm the only one who was actually born in Britain?" He hissed clenching his fists. The chairman nodded.

"That is correct. Now as I was saying. There are many teams on our campus, each with it's own strengths and weaknesses. You all will have your high points, and your low points. The task of each team is to overcome those and beat out the other teams at the academy."

"What do you mean by beat out?" Francis asked.

"Each team, no matter how many years they've been attend academy, competes against the others in order to be transferred to the international school. Every year, one team is chosen to be sent to the international academy. There is where students from all over the world gather for schooling, and the reward for graduating from there is quite a great one."

"Hold on." Arthur broke in. "You said one TEAM is chosen? What do you mean one team? You act as if all of our fates depend on each other." He nodded, a pleased smile on his face.

"That is correct Mr. Kirkland. The basis of these teams is simple. When one of you succeeds, you all succeed. When one of you fails, you all fail. The fault of one member is the fault of the whole team, as is the success of one member the success of the rest of you. The top team is chosen not only through academic success, but also through behavior, extra curricular activities, and works you do together outside of school. The key word here being together. A team that does not exhibit excellent team work, despite everything else they may do, will no be considered for the international academy."

"My grades depend on idiots like him?" Romano cried angrily, pointing an accusatory finger at Antonio. "Fuck that. That's not fair!"

"It is what it is. Teamwork is the most important aspect of life you may ever learn, and will help you to achieve years beyond your days at the academy. Now..." He trailed off to let the protests die down. "When you arrive you will be taken to your house on the campus. There, you will each be assigned to rooms and roommates."

"What about me!" Elizaveta cried. "I don't want to stay in the same house as all these guys, much less share a room with one of them! Didn't you people think about this when you put this thing together?"

"Well as I'm not the headmaster, the final decision was not mine." He replied. "However I do know that he was considering taking you out of the group until he saw your track record." He chuckled, eyes lighting. "Apparently he thinks you'll be fine." She scowled but otherwise said nothing. "Don't worry Ms Héderváry you're not allowed to stay in the same room as a boy, much less be placed in one with them. You'll have your own room and one of the female assistants at the academy will come by every so often to make sure your doing all right. You're not the first girl that's been placed with all boy's and you won't be the last." He said.

"Now then." He continued. "The rest of the information you'll be given when you arrive. When you get to your cabin, you'll all be fitted for uniforms and you will begin school in two days. There are car's waiting for you outside so grab your stuff and get down there. Oh..." He paused, holding his hand in the air. "The cell service isn't great at the academy. So I'd suggest you call your parents now before you get there. We do have landline phones but they're mostly for emergencies, as the headmaster wants the students to stay closer to the academy then the world outside it. All right then. Off you go. And good luck to you all, I hope to see you sometime at school."

Arthur didn't need another word of encouragement. Snatching his black bag off the floor and grabbing Francis by the collar, he strode quickly out of the room before the rest of them could catch up.

"Arthur! Hey let go of my collar! 'Zis is very expensive material you know!" Francis complained trying to shake himself free of Arthur's grip.

"We have to get down to the cars. With any luck we can get one without the rest of them." He muttered, ignoring Francis's protests and dragging him into the elevator. "Besides we need to talk."

"I will talk if you let go of me Anglettere!"

Arthur sighed and renounced his grip on his friend's shirt as the elevator doors slid closed. "There. Happy?" Arthur muttered. Francis nodded.

"Yes. Now what did you want to talk about?" He asked. Arthur shook his head as they continued their decent.

"Wait until we're in the car." He replied. Francis shrugged but was compliant and kept his mouth shut. The doors binged, opening to the busy lobby of the building.

"Wonder if it's still raining." Arthur muttered to himself. Stepping out the glass doors, he found that it was indeed, still raining. "Lovely. Wet again." He growled, pulling his hood over his head. "Francis we should get to the..." He turned realizing his friend was no longer next to him. In fact he was already running to one of the shining black cars lined up along the sidewalk. "Bloody frog, its just water." Arthur sighed, rolling his eyes. He jogged down the water soaked steps and up to the car Francis had entered, pulling the door open and hopping inside.

"Right then." He said as he slammed the door shut. "Can we go?"

The driver laughed. "My you're in a hurry aren't you? All right I don't think it would hurt to get a bit of a head start. I'm going to put the divider up, so if you two want something press the speaker button or just tap on the glass and I'll put it down ok?"

"Thank you very much." Arthur replied gratefully.

"No problem." the man replied as the black window went up.

Arthur listened as the engine started up and felt the car slowly pull out of its spot by the side of the road.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?" Francis asked inquisitively.

"That whole meeting in general." Arthur muttered, staring at the ceiling. Francis chuckled.

"What about it?"

"Everything." Arthur snapped. "God I can't believe that guy. I've never met anyone so obnoxious in my life. Just looking at him makes me want to hit him. He looks like an idiot rugby player. Even his voice is annoying and stupid sounding."

Francis smirked crossing his arms. "So what you actually want to talk about is Alfred Jones right?"

"Shut up. Obnoxious prick. He was glaring at me the whole time. What did I do to him huh?"

Francis sighed. "First off you were glaring at 'im first. Don't say you weren't because you were Arthur. And second, it is not right of you to judge 'im by his appearance. You of all people should know 'zat."

Arthur let his clenched hands relax and sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Yea. I know you're right. But it's not like it's my fault I had to come dressed like this! I packed my normal clothes and well, that's all I really had in my apartment. This was al that was left for me to wear. Besides I did ask you to lend me a pair of your clothes but you wouldn't have any of it. Some friend you are."

Francis chuckled, shrugging innocently. "None of my clothes would fit you. Besides 'zere is no way my parent's would 'ave let you borrow 'zem. Anyway it's not completely my fault. You could have at least taken your studs out."

Arthur grimaced, twisting the shining metal balls in his ears. "Yea you're right I should have. I don't even know why I bother to wear them anymore, what with Jacob having left a year ago. Nervous habit I guess."

Francis rolled his eyes. "I still can't believe you took 'zat dare. It was bad enough that you took the dare to get your ears pierced, but to promise to keep them on? 'Zat was not smart Arthur, especially considering how much you disliked them."

"I know I know alright you've told me a thousand times." He muttered, popping the earrings out of his soft ear lobes. "I was just being stubborn when I shouldn't have been."

"And suddenly everyone was putting a punk label on you." Francis pointed out.

"I don't care about that. Arthur snapped. "I've never been ashamed of that fact. Let them think I'm a punk. It makes me feel stronger anyway. It's just..." He sighed, letting his head rest in his hands. "It's just it pushed me further and further away from the direction I wanted to go that's all. When I started getting labeled as a punk, I used that outside image to try to make my self look stronger when really wasn't. It gave me a sense of fake confidence. And then I'd go home and realize I was still... me. Not any stronger or different. But at that point it was to late, and I just went along with it. I didn't even have to act the part. They just looked at me and suddenly I was someone strong. I'm able to mask my weakness behind it, and I hate that."

"I know Arthur." Francis murmured. "But isn't that why this school is such a good thing? Maybe here, you'll finally be able to break free of that part of you and gain your own true strength. You won't have to use that part of you to be strong anymore."

Arthur shook his head. "I don't even know anymore. It's already started badly, what with arguing with that American and the way I had to show up looking like. I mean Francis did you see some of them? They were dressed so well like you. Of course then there were the others who just looked like idiots..."

"Arthur." Francis jumped in. "You don't have any right to judge others when you don't want them to judge you. Besides, telling others what to do and then not doing it your self… isn't that sort of hypocrisy? 'Zey don't know how you really are and you don't know how 'zey really are. So let's wait 'zis out ok?"

Arthur nodded and tossed his friend a grateful smile. "Thanks Francis. I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes."

Francis snorted. "You would probably be dead by 'ze side of a road but never mind 'zat, you're quite welcome. Oh, and you would apologize to Alfred? Things between 'zis group are tense enough as it is."

"Hey I don't hate him because of the way he dresses or anything! It's just... him. You know when you first meet someone and no matter what they're like you just want them to disappear? That's it."

"Arthur I'm not telling you to be 'is best friend. Just apologize and 'zen ignore 'im. We have to at least try to all work together or 'zis whole thing is going to go straight downhill." Francis argued.

Arthur sighed. "Yea yea fine. I'll apologize or whatever. And hey what about you?"

Francis quirked his eyebrows. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about."

"That Canadian, Matthew. What was up with that, asking him if he spoke French? And you seemed pretty upset when he wouldn't look at you." Arthur goaded, poking his friend. Francis scowled.

"That's none of your business is it?"

Arthur snorted. "No but it doesn't change the fact that I want to know what the heck you were thinking. Do you like him or something?" Francis shrugged.

"He's very cute, no? And he speaks French which makes it all the better."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Yea sure whatever you say."

"Aww but he is!" Francis cooed. "I hope we get put in the same room."

"Poor kid. For his sake I hope not. I don't know how kindly he'd take to getting raped. Especially by a guy."

"Hey don't be mean." Francis chided. "And don't even think of going after 'im he's mine."

Arthur's face burned furiously in embarrassment. "As if I would." He snapped. "You know Francis just because I'm bi like you are doesn't mean anything. It's like alcoholic drinks. You're 2 parts gay one part straight. I'm two parts straight one part gay. See how that works?"

"I don't really get your reasoning." Francis replied. Arthur sighed.

"It means that I don't ogle over random good looking guys." He replied. "And that the likelihood of me actually liking a guy as anything more then a friend is pretty low."

"Ah yes yes I know we've been over is before." Francis laughed. "By the way isn't it pretty lucky 'zat the chairman didn't make the connection with your last name?"

"He DID make the connection. He just thought he was wrong." Arthur muttered, heart-pounding t the mere memory. "God that was too close."

"You're going to have to be careful, lest anyone actually figure it out." Francis warned.

"Yea. I know." Arthur replied. They'd been driving for at least ten minutes, and he could hear and see the rain pounding on the windows as they made their way through London.

"I wonder where 'zis place even is?" Francis asked. "If the cell service is bad it can't be anywhere to close to civilization."

Arthur shrugged, pulling _Hamlet _out of his bag. "I don't know. I guess we'll see when we get there."

Francis eyed the book and let out a pronounced tsk of amusement. "You're actually readi..."

"If you make one bloody comment I swear." Arthur snapped, opening the book on his lap and flipping through the pages. Francis shrugged and turned toward the window.

"You're really going to read the whole time?" Francis asked, still peering out the window.

Arthur nodded, settling comfortably against the door. "As long as I don't have to talk to you, then yes." He replied, eyes already darting across the page.

Francis smiled wryly placing his head against the cool window glass.

"Then I guess it's going to be a long ride."

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:** So now we know a little more about Arthur. Looks like he wasn't exactly as he seemed to be ^^ Gah fail at Berwald's accent… as well as Francis. I'm not actually sure how Sweden's accent is supposed to work. Like if there's a rule to it or you just randomly take out letters lol. I've also decided my deadline will be Sunday, although depending on how much time I have (or how motivated I am to work) chapters might come out earlier. I will try not to get them out later though. No Alfred's POV in this chapter, so the next may very well be completely from his. I'm also debating as to weather I should write from other character's POV's as well…


	4. Cars and Cabins

**A/N:** Yay! New chapter finally! I'm on vacation (yes!) so I've had a lot more time to write. I wanted to get this chapter up so I can spend a little time fixing all the grammar and errors in my other chapters instead of stressing over the fact that I missed two deadlines XP Thanks greatly to **tintenstern** who fixed my German XD Man I'm worse with language then I imagined. I thought I could at least get two words right *dies* ah well that's what being monolingual means I guess lol. On another note thank you for all your reviews and faves once again :D

Onward!

Alfred sighed, kicking his feat against the wall dividing the front and back of the car weakly. "Well that went well." He muttered looking up at the ceiling.

"Yea well it's sort of your fault isn't it?" Soren pointed out. "You're the one who started arguing after all."

"That guy had no right to ask Matty a question like that." He snapped. "We didn't even know his name and there he was nosing his way into someone else's business. And then that other guy got involved and I couldn't take it. I really wanted to punch him Soren."

"Alfred I do appreciate the concern really, but to be perfectly blunt it wasn't your problem. I could have taken care of it on my own." Matthew said. "Yes I did feel a little put on the spot but it wasn't like he was asking me something horribly personal. Are you sure you didn't just jump in because you wanted a chance to fight with his friend, Arthur?"

"What?" Alfred let out an indignant cry of protest. "Matty I don't try to pick fights with people! You know that."

Matthew nodded. "I know that Alfred. Trust me I do."

"He was just. Aggghhh everything about him pissed me off. His clothes and his hair and those studs..."

"I also know your not one to judge by appearance." Matthew interrupted. "Seriously Alfred. You had friends back at West Bridge who dressed just like him and you never had a problem with it. I know that its not the way he looks so don't blame it on that. What's the matter? Really Alfred why do you hate him so much?"

Alfred heaved an exasperated sigh and shook his head. "I don't know Matty. I never ever thought poorly of Jack or Dillon because of the way they looked. They were my buds, at least on some sort of level, and it didn't matter to me how they dressed or whatever. This guy, it's different."

"Then what is it?" Soren pressed.

"I don't know. It's like, when you meet someone for the first time and without knowing anything about them you hate their guts. Have you ever felt like that?" Soren nodded, while Matthew hesitantly shook his head. "I've never actually hated anyone before but this guy I just, I don't know. I don't like him."

"Well like him or not, you're at least going to have to get along with him." Soren pointed out. "So I suggest you apologize to him later."

"What, do I have to?" Alfred whined. Matthew and Soren nodded in unison.

"Yes you do." Matthew said. "Come on Alfred it's not that difficult just apologize."

"Alright alright you win guys." Alfred muttered, crossing his arms sourly. "I'll apologize to him ok? And deal with him and whatever else your gonna say next. As long as I don't have to room with him we should have no trouble avoiding each other right?"

"I think you're sort of missing the 'team' part of this thing. But whatever I'm not really all for it either." Sore shrugged. Matthew gaped at him.

"Wait you don't want to go to the international academy? Seriously? But Soren I really wanted to make it there!" Matthew cried. "Come on please try!"

Soren sighed looking up at the ceiling of the car. "I don't know Matt. Do you really think we've got that great of a chance? I mean several members of our house already hate each other, and we haven't even started the school year yet. I hate to say it but our chances at getting any where are slim to none at this point," he laughed, rubbing his hand through his hair. "But who knows maybe everyone will kiss and make up and it'll all be fine. As long as the teachers are as easy to prank at this place as they were before, I don't really care what happens."

"I'm for that!" Alfred grinned raising his hand for a high five. The boys smacked hands over their protestant friend, both already thinking up new jokes to pull on their new educators.

"You really shouldn't do that." Matthew insisted. "Come on you're going to get the rest of us in trouble you two! What if everyone thinks I'm in on it too?"

"Love you too Matty." Alfred grumbled, playfully shoving the smaller blonde.

Soren laughed. "So basically you don't give a shit about us as long as you don't get grouped by association right?"

"I didn't say that." Matthew argued. "I meant that since we're obviously best friends it would only be natural that I be part of your idiocy too."

"Way to sugar coat it." Alfred snickered. "Nice save there buddy."

"C'était une bonne sauver." Matthew mused.

"Agh no speaking French! English, English Matty!" Alfred whined.

"Speaking of French." Soren cut in. " Back to the matter at hand. Matthew what did you think of them all? Not judging by appearances but you know..."

"Hey what about me don't I get a say?" Alfred protested.

"You had your say. It was on the way to the car, bitching all the while about Arthur." Soren shot back. Alfred muttered something under his breath but was otherwise quiet.

"Well they're interesting that's for sure." Matthew replied hesitantly. "That Gilbert one, he was rather loud and his brother seemed pretty quiet didn't he?" Soren nodded.

"Yea that's what I thought." Scowling, he covered an ear. "Gilbert really was loud. I seriously thought he was gonna blow my eardrum out."

"And then there was that girl he was arguing with. Wasn't it Elizaveta?" Alfred said, jumping into the conversation.

"Yea the one that sort of looked like a guy?" Soren asked.

"Don't be rude!" Matthew said smacking his arm. "I can't believe you nimrods actually couldn't tell she was a girl! She had really long eye lashes, big eyes, her hair was long too, albeit back in a pony tail but that's not the point! Just because the rest of her was a little more... boyish she was still girl like."

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Matty, hate to say it but you've got long eye lashes. And big eyes, and longish hair. And you're not a girl, are you?" Matthew's face glowed red and he scowled irritably at his friend.

"That's not the point! You shouldn't be so rude to girls. You're lucky you're so good looking Alfred or you would never get a girlfriend."

Soren snickered. "Matty, he's never HAD a girlfriend, remember?"

"Hey I could get a girl if I tried!" Alfred muttered indignantly. "It's not like I've never been asked out or anything I just didn't like any of them!"

"You're so picky. Seriously Alfred." Matthew sighed.

"Speaking of girls. It kind of sucks that there's only one in our group. I mean, we're going to be competing against the other teams so it doesn't really feel right to get into relationships, you know." Sore pointed out, sighing into his hand. "Bummer. I was really hoping to get a new girlfriend."

Matthew rolled his eyes and Alfred let out a snicker. "You are such a player. I swear if I ever meet anyone worse then you I will eat those words but for now..." Matthew shook his head.

"Yea yea I know." The Dane laughed. "You've read me the riot act a thousand times before. I get it I'll be good." He said innocently. "Hey how much longer do you guys think this ride is going to be?"

"Dunno." Alfred replied, tugging at his damp blonde locks. "Wanna play DS?"

"You know it!" Soren grinned, already sliding the black electronic out of his bag. "Man I thought you hadn't remembered to bring yours."

Alfred snorted, pushing open the blue cover of his own. "Of course I brought mine. I mean what better way to spend downtime? Especially considering I won't have my Xbox."

Matthew pressed his hand to his forehead, letting out an exasperated sigh. "You two... I swear you are the biggest dorks I've ever met in my life."

"Does that mean you brought yours?" Alfred asked, pushing a game into the slot. Matthew rolled his eyes, but smiled and nodded.

"Yup I brought it. Can you put in a three player game though cause I forgot pretty much all of mine."

"You're on!" Alfred cried, pumping his fist in the air. The trio laughed, the sound of their happy voices locked tightly in the confines of the car. Pounding furiously on the game controls, the three boys spent the rest of the trip lost in their world together and pushing all thoughts of their odd classmates and the school to the back of their minds.

O ~ O ~ O

Alfred barely noticed when the car pulled to a slow stop, fingers still speeding over the game controls and eyes set on the screen intently. He'd never beaten Soren at this level before and now he was so close to victory he could feel a gloating smirk pulling at his lips. Finally! I'm finally gonna beat him!

"Oh no you don't!" Soren snarled from beside him, glaring furiously at the game. Alfred grinned triumphantly.

"I'm finally going to win!" He yelled, pumping a free hand in the air. Matthew muttered something from his side but he couldn't make it out and wasn't really trying to. Last star. Last star, last star and I win! He thought, working his way toward the top of the tower in the game. This was it! He'd won! And then suddenly, the door opened letting in a rush of air and surprising the Canadian sitting next to him. Matthew jumped, bumping into Alfred and knocking the game out of his hands.

"Ah sorry!" Matthew cried reflexively.

"Matthew!" Alfred shrieked, lunging for his game.

"To late I've got it!" Soren cried, raising his hands in the air and dropping the electronic. "What did I tell you? You can't beat me Alfred!"

"Aughh damn it!" Alfred swore, stuffing the game in his pocket. Sighing he rubbed the back of his head, extending his other hand to his friend. "Alright alright good game. But I totally had that one though and you know it! Next time I swear I'll beat you!" He promised.

"We'll see about that Mr. Hero." Soren laughed, putting his own game away. "Come on, I think we're getting kicked out of the car." Alfred blinked in confusion.

"What do you're mean we're..."

"Ehem. Sorry to interrupt but you three have to get out." A voice said from the open door. Alfred turned in surprise to see their young driver giving them a flustered smile and holding the door open. "Again sorry about that but you guys have got to get out and get to, well where ever everyone else is going." He said, jabbing his thumb behind him.

"Ah sorry bout that." Alfred said, grabbing his bag and following Matthew out the door into the drizzle. Alfred's eye's widened in surprise, taking in the scenery around him. "Where... where the heck are we?" He murmured. "We're so not in a city anymore."

"You're in the country side sir. At the edge of the unoccupied side of Sherwood forest actually. It's about an hour drive to any real town from here." The man replied. Alfred cocked his head.

"Sherwood. Why does that sound familiar? Oh! That's where the story of Robin hood was said to have taken place right? Ah yea I remember now. I read about it in a book although I don't remember which one... Wait but there's a part that people don't come to?"

He nodded. "That is correct. This side of the forest is off limits to visitors because of this academy, and it's a good few miles to that border from what I know." He laughed, patting Alfred on the back. "Sorry to say but you guys are pretty much isolated."

"Wonderful." Soren muttered, covering his spiky blonde hair with his arm in an attempt to shield himself from the rain. "Just what I need."

"I've heard the academy is a little way's into the forest but you won't have to find it by yourselves. It looks like there's someone waiting for you over there." The driver said, pointing past them. The boy's shifted their attention to see a small group forming next to a large statue directly outside of the forest. It was an odd looking thing, the stone sculpture. It didn't look to be of any sort of animal, but it certainly wasn't the statue of a person either. From here, it looked more like a giant 'X'.

"Oh thank you, that must be where we're all meeting." Matthew said, nodding politely to the man. Tipping his hat, the young driver stepped back into the black car and with a resounding screech, pulled away leaving the boys alone.

"Hey you three get over here! You're the last ones!" A female voice called from over by the statue. A woman with short red hair waved furiously at them, beckoning them over. Throwing each other side way's glances the boys jogged over to the group. As they neared, Alfred frowned and turned sharply, pointedly walking toward the opposite side that Arthur stood. He caught Matthew rolling his eyes and winced inwardly. I'll apologize later or something He decided. Just not right now.

"Right then." the cheery woman began. "Now that we're all here let's get to your cabin's shall we?"

"Cabin's?" Elizaveta asked. "Are you being literal?" the woman nodded, still smiling brightly.

"Why yes of course! Each team has a cabin; a house of sorts that they live in. Oh but I'll explain the rest when we get there. The academy is actually still a little way's off but don't worry you'll all see it come Monday. Now there is a stone path leading into the forest. It's important that you always remember never to go off the path. It doesn't seem easy to get lost but trust me it is. Oh and it looks flat now but you'll be walking up stone stairs pretty soon so don't run." She chuckled. "Now let's get going, the lot of you."

Alfred swore he heard something of a collective moan from the group, but nonetheless everyone started forward, following the red haired woman onto a stone path.

"Oh I'm Katherine by the way. If any of you need any thing don't hesitate to talk to me about it." She said brightly. Alfred slowed his steps ad allowed himself to fall to the back of the group, Matthew and Soren flanking his sides.

"Alfred this is ridiculous. We can go faster then this, come on." Soren muttered. Although small groups of them were chatting amongst themselves, there was still a sort of silence that hung about the students, threatening to revive itself at any moment and so Alfred was glad at that the hushed tone his friend spoke in.

"Didn't you hear her? She said save your energy. Besides, those two are at the front. I'd honestly like to avoid them for as long as physically possible." Alfred argued.

"Alfred you're going to be living together. I'm sorry but completely avoiding interaction is going to be impossible." Matthew sighed.

Alfred ignored his comment, pulling his hood over his head to protect himself from the light drops still falling. "The single and only reason I would go up there is to eavesdrop, but I won't do that because it's not right." Alfred shot back. Matthew threw his hands in the air in defeat.

"Yes fine alright. We'll say back here. Happy?" Matthew muttered.

"No way." Alfred whispered, not really paying attention to his friend. Matthew frowned, setting his hands furiously on his hips.

"Well I'm sorry excuse me for..."

"No no look guys. It's actually a cabin." Alfred hissed, pointing into the woods. And there it was just as he said it would be. A medium sized wooden cabin with and odd design and unreadable words over the entrance just off the stone path where they stood. Large scraps of metal lay in a disarray about the cabin surrounded by what looked like at least a dozen tool boxes giving the log house an odd sense of abandonment.

"Look there are more!" Matthew said, motioning further into the woods. The boys peered through the tree's eyes darting across the landscape, and they realized their friend was right. There were cabins everywhere, dotting the woods far off into the distance of the forest up and down the hill and most likely past where their own eye's could see.

"That's crazy! So we're living in one of those things?" Alfred asked. Soren shrugged unknowingly.

"I guess we are."

"You three catch up. You're falling behind!" Katherine called from the front of the group. Tearing his eye's away from the odd looking cabin, Alfred hoisted the strap of his bag more securely over his shoulder and sprinted up the stairs after the others. Not even a day in and I'm already falling behind. He thought miserably.

"By now I'm sure you have all spotted the many cabins dotted throughout the forest." Katherine began as the group continued its trek up the stairs. "Each of these belongs to another house, one of the teams you all are competing against as well as learning with. Every house must design a logo, a symbol that represents them, as well as a house name. Once your name and crest are decided, you are free to do as you please with your cabin. Within reason of course. Any questions so far?"

"Can we paint it?" Feliciano chirped. Katherine chuckled and shook her head.

"No not the outside. But you may paint the inside if you would like at least in the rooms where the walls are not wooden."

"Are instruments allowed in the cabins?" Roderich inquired pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Hm. Well small ones I suppose. Although if you didn't bring one with you don't expect to be getting one anytime soon." She smiled. "However we do have an orchestra room in the main building that houses all of our instruments. So if you ever want to practice or check one out, they're all there. Now then. Your cabin is this way." She said, pulling off the main steps and onto a side path along the side of the hill.

"This section is pretty steep so there aren't any cabins right along here. It flattens out a little further in, although I believe the lot of you are still set on something of a small hill." She explained. "The cabin closest to yours should be a bit past the bottom of the hill you all are set on."

"I wish she'd stop telling us what it looks like and hurry up and get us there." Soren muttered viciously. Alfred punched his shoulder lightly, shaking his head.

"Lighten up it's not that bad a climb." He argued. "Besides if our cabin really is this far up we're going to have to get used to this."

"Wah!"

A flustered cry of surprise echoed through the forest, followed directly by a loud thud and the crunching of leaves. Alfred rushed forward, mind churning in concern for the owner of the shriek. The young boy from Japan, Kiku Honda lay awkwardly sprawled along the steep steps a startled expression adorning his features as if he was trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"Dude you ok?" Alfred asked, stepping to his side and offering his hand to the flushed boy. He nodded numbly, gently grasping Alfred's hand and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. Alfred felt Matthew and Soren rush to his side, throwing worried glances at each other.

"Thank you very much." He said quietly, looking to his feet. "I don't know what happened there I must have tripped on something. I'm sorry to have made you go out of your way to help."

"Are you alright back there?" Katherine called. Alfred blinked in surprise at the realization that their peers were watching them.

"Oh yea we're fine back here." He called up. "Kiku just slipped it's alright."

She nodded and motioned for the rest of the group to cease their staring and to continue their journey to the cabin.

"Rearry thank you very much." Kiku said again looking down at his hands.

Alfred laughed rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Hey it's alright it wasn't any big deal. That looked like hurt man you better make sure you didn't break anything there. Oh hey let me get your bag. It must hurt to walk after a fall like that." He said suddenly. Before Kiku could get a word in, he was jogging down the steps and snatching up the boy's small white duffel bag.

"Man this thing is light." He cried, swinging it over his shoulder. "Is there actually anything in here?"

"Just some clothes and such." He responded nervously, taking his bag hesitantly from Alfred. Ahh am I scaring him? Alfred thought worriedly. He is sort of quiet I guess it would be no surprise that I seem a little much. Ugh but I don't want him to hate me after all we have to work together! Maybe I should…

"Hey! What are you doing Kiku can take care of himself!" Alfred blinked out of is trance, mind snapping back to reality to recognize the speaker. The other Asian boy, Wang Yao was standing protectively next to Kiku, hand on his shoulder and giving Alfred a stern look.

"Oh. Sorry he just looked like he needed a hand and I don't make it a habit to leave people when they're in trouble." Alfred said biting his lip nervously.

"Yao it's ok." Kiku murmured, pulling the others hand off his shoulder. "He was very kind to help me." An almost amused expression slid onto his face and he tilted his head. "Besides I didn't see you making any rush to help."

Yao's face burned red and he shook his head. "But I didn't even realize you'd gotten so far behind! I thought you were just a little behind me the whole time I swear! So when I heard someone fall I figured it couldn't be you! Ahhh but then I realized you weren't with me so I came back to check! I'm sorry my friend I should have been more careful."

Kiku shook his head. "No it's alright. Thank you. But... just how far up were you Yao-san?"

Yao shrugged. "I was nearly at the top of the stairs. Katherine had told me to just go ahead if I wanted to."

"Seriously?" Soren asked incredulously. Alfred watched as Yao and Kiku blinked in surprise at Soren, as if the two had just realized that Alfred's friends were there.

"Ah yes. Well I figured I might as well get up there." Yao replied awkwardly. "Um you were Soren right? And you," He turned back to Matthew cocking his head. "Matthew correct?" They nodded, extending their hands.

"Yes that's right." Matthew smiled, taking Yao's hand. "It's a pleasure to formally meet you."

"The same for us." Kiku replied, exchanging Yao's hands for his own. "Ah and um…" He turned slowly to Alfred, hand hesitantly out stretched.

Alfred grinned broadly slipping his hand into Kiku's small one. "It's really nice to meet you both. I hope we can all be good friends." Yao nodded politely and Kiku gave him a small smile before pulling his hand away.

"You think we should catch up to the rest of the group?" Soren prodded, jerking his head toward the slowly acceding students.

"Probably." Alfred chuckled. "Alright then let's catch up!"

O ~ O ~ O

"Finally!" Alfred muttered, wiping the arm of his coat across his brow. "It's freezing out here but I'm sweating like crazy! Do we always have to trek like this just to get to the cabin?" The group stood on a small crop of open flat land wedged between the trees and looked up at the continuing steps to their cabin. It sat at the top of a small hill, densely surrounded by trees. Alfred had almost missed it when their guide had first pointed out the house.

"This is your cabin." Katherine said, interrupting Alfred's tirade.

"Another hill?" Gilbert groaned. "I don't want to climb a hill that steep just to get to my room!" Alfred caught Katherine rolling her eyes and held back a snort of amusement.

"It's just a small one." She sighed. "And don't worry there's a map on the inside of your cabin door that shows you how to get to the academy grounds. You don't have to go up and down that hill anymore alright?"

Cheers of relief echoed throughout the group and Alfred felt himself smile. No more awful hills.

"As you know already, you begin classes in two days. You have that long to devise your team name and crest. How you make your crest is up to you, but it must be hanging above your cabin by the end of the week, understand?"

"I'm not sure I do." Antonio piped up. "Are you saying we actually have to not only design a crest but actually make one?"

She nodded. "That's correct. When a crest is designed, each team puts the emblem over their cabin and turns in the drawn design. When you get your uniforms at the end of the week, you will also have a sash for your arm adorned with your crest. It helps the teachers know who they're giving or taking points from, as well as informing the other students what house other's are from."

"Question." Tino called out, raising his hand. Katherine nodded, granting him permission to speak. "Why do we need to do all this crest stuff? I mean I do understand the value of team work but how does…." He trailed off blinking slowly and narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. "Oh!" He cried, a wide smile sliding onto his face. "I understand! Having something to identify with strengthens the bond in a team, and creating our own name and emblem also means we have to work together. Right?"

She nodded. "That's correct. Teamwork is an incredibly important aspect of our academy, so the first thing each new house does is a teamwork activity. Now. I'm going to let you go and send you all up to the cabin. Another woman should be by in an hour or so to fit you all for uniforms and give you your class schedules."

"But we didn't pick classes." Gilbert interrupted.

She smiled pleasantly, nodding. "That's correct. The school chooses your classes for you. Of course all first years have to take a group of set courses, but your extra curricular and more advanced classes were chosen based on information gathered from your previous extra curricular as well as the classes you seem to have had the most success in. Hmm what else…" She trailed off frowning to herself. "Oh right room assignments. You of course Ms Elizaveta will have your own room. The rest of you however have been randomly placed into pairs. The person you've been paired with will be your roommate for the entire year. No switching. No asking for changes. And don't try to just room with someone else and think we won't notice because we will and you'll be punished." A groan rippled through the group.

"And I'll tell you now, none of you are paired with students from your own school."

"Aw man!" Soren hissed. She was met with several other shouts of protest, but after a couple seconds, the raised voices died down.

"The room listing is posted in the kitchen, along with the money for your weekly allowance. Each week every house is given money. There's a small town just north of the academy for student use only. There are food stores and markets, among other things and students are permitted into town whenever they please except for during school hours. How you use the money is entirely up to you, but you don't get anymore then you're given. Teams can earn and lose money based or points earned the week previous. Any questions?"

"This system is fucked up." Gilbert muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Now," Katherine continued once again ignoring his outburst. " Go ahead up. And good luck this year. I hope to be seeing you all around the school often." She said smiling. With a final nod at the students, she turned and began walking back down the stone path. The group looked at each other nervously.

"W'll I ge'ss tha's th't." Berwald said suddenly. They all tossed each other surprised glances at the tall blonde's sudden words.

"Right then. We're off." Alfred smiled. He turned to Matthew and Siren, tossing them wide grins as he sprinted away. "I'll race you to the top! Bet you a thousand bucks I'll win!"

"You're on!" Soren yelled, scrambling up the stairs after him. Alfred laughed, arms pumping at his sides, reaching for the cabin at the peak of the hill. So this is it. This is the beginning of my new year. He thought smiling thoughtfully. Abandoning his thought and tripping over his feet, he stumbled up to the door and tore it open.

"Made it first!" He called back to Soren gleefully. Which means I get to check the room assignments first. He thought, worry suddenly churning in his gut.

"Hey don't go in without the rest of us!" He heard Soren call through the open door. He glanced around the room he was standing it. It looked like a living room. The walls were wood, the very logs that the outside of the cabin was structured from. On the left side of the room stood a sizeable fireplace, surrounded by a black sofa and one small wooden chair. Overall it was a rather plain looking room. He cast his eyes further into the house, the next room, and saw that he had found the kitchen.

Unlike the living room, the walls appeared to be normal plaster; the parts not covered by cabinets a crisp white. The kitchen was about the same size as the room where he stood, although f e had to guess he would have said it was a little bigger. Granite counter tops stretched around the room, a small island filling up the center of the room. The cabinets, a similar color to the wooden logs, were polished and new looking with a bright sheen to them.

"Hmm where's that list?" He murmured aloud. His flitting eyes rested suddenly on a sheet of paper on the edge of the Island. "Aha!"

"Alfred!" Soren jumped up behind him, grabbing Alfred abruptly by the shoulders.

"Wah! Hey Soren!" With an awkward "ompf" he fell to the ground pulling the Dane down with him.

"What was that for?" He whined, shoving his friend roughly off him.

"Sorry." Soren shrugged innocently. "I wanted to see the list before you."

"Yea well I'm going to see it first!"

"Bloody hell it's not a competition." A voice seethed from the front door. Alfred felt his muscles tense in unease. Arthur. It was the first time he'd heard the Briton speak since their initial meeting in the conference room, and his mind was already wandering back to his promised apology. Standing stiffly and brushing himself off, he turned and gave the boy a narrow look.

"Well you're loads of fun aren't you?" He muttered tersely, pointedly turning away from him.

"Wanker."

Alfred tensed his fists at his sides. Don't let him get to you don't let him get to you don't don't don't. He turned suddenly to face him, mouth open and a ready retort ghosting his lips.

Before he could get a word in however, he felt a shoulder push by him, knocking him unsteadily off his feet, and causing him to fall against the counter.

"Hey!" He snapped angrily at the bushy eyebrowed blonde. "Watch it!"

"Then you stay out of the way." Arthur retorted. Alfred bit his lip, glaring furiously at him and watching his eyes skim rapidly over the list.

"Kirkland, Kirkland Kirkland." He murmured to himself, finger sliding along the names and pausing at each one.

"Kirk…." His voice hitched in what Alfred could only guess was surprise as he watched as a horrified expression slid onto the Britons features. What's he so upset about? Alfred wondered, glancing down at the list. He allowed his eyes to find Arthurs finger on the page, curious as to what had elicited such a reaction out of him. And then found himself in the same jaw dropped position. Because there, next to Arthur's name was none other then his own.

**A/N:** Ohhh drama XP This chapter is a little slow and I apologize for that but I wanted to start building group relations and let the gang really get a feel as to what they're getting in to. I also apologize for the ameripan type scene... to be blunt I hate that pairing nearly as much as I loath fruk (and I honestly want to kick that off the edge of a very tall cliff) so please don't worry! I loooove Kiku and althoguh i dislike ameripan I do happen to like the friendship feel between the two (basically how I feel about arthur and francis's relationship lol) Just felt I should put that in there, as some authors do jump around shippings in their stories from time to time XP

Oh yea. once again my french... *sigh* I'm going to have to start getting my actually french speaking friend to edit those parts or something... soo when someone out there finds an issue with it (which they will) please please tell me!

C'était une bonne sauver. - It was a good save, huh?

And one more thing. I don't think I'm going to include Yao's 'aru' in his speech as it's not something the chinese actually say and it's just a japanese joke making fun of the way they talk... I believe I read XD if you guy's really want it I'll put it in but i'm still not sure... oh also sorry once again for sweden I reallly need to figure out how that accent of his works...


	5. Goading and Glasses

**A/N:** Yay thank you for reviews! They mean the world to me so if you don't mind reviewing please do so! :D Wow I got this done fast O.o Seriously I surprised myself with the speed here but I really wanted to get at least one last chapter up before spring break ends…

**Sha-Lin** haha nope no problem at all ^^ Lol hmm I wonder if this is going to be USUK or UKUS myself XD We'll seeeeee cause I'm not telling!

Onward!

This is not happening. This can't be happening. The list is wrong, it's a mistake, and I'm hallucinating. Alfred could do nothing but allow these ridiculous thoughts to invade his mind as he stood numbly next to the other boy. Ridiculous, because as fiercely as he wished them to be true, he already knew such things were impossible.

"This… this can't be happening."

The sudden words shook Alfred from his stupor, eyes flitting to the boy standing next to him.

"They can't be serious." Arthur laughed incredulously. "They have to be joking."

Alfred shook his head, eyes fixated once again of the damned piece of paper as if he was trying to burn a hole in the thing that was ruining his life.

"This is not happening." Arthur hissed. His voice had lost it's shocked, almost joking tone as if it had been swept away in some passing breeze. In fact these words dripped with such venom and ferocity, that Alfred felt himself slight taken aback. Just as he opened his own mouth to protest the room assignments, he caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eyes and stumbled backwards once again at the sudden tension at the collar of his shirt.

"What the hell?" He snarled, glaring down at the Briton whose hand was now fiercely fisted in Alfred's shirt. "Don't you dare fucking take it out on me like it's my fault this happened! I don't want this either! Now let go of me!" Alfred watched Arthur's venom green eyes narrow dangerously, as if he was trying to slice through Alfred's sky blue orbs. Alfred let out a small cry of surprise as he felt himself suddenly being jerked downward, so much so that his face was now mere inches from the others.

Alfred's muscles froze, breath hitching in his throat at the sudden decrease in distance between them. What the fuck did he think he was doing? Their eye's remained locked in a silent battle, fierce blue eyes battling valiantly against the jaded green ones for victory. They were so close; all Alfred could really see was his eyes, save for his large eyebrows and stray locks of hair.

He smelled of tea and oddly, a sort of cedar wood. The scent overwhelmed Alfred's nose making his skin crawl; the thought of being close enough to this boy to smell him sickening his stomach and forcing his body into motion. Lifting his hands abruptly, he snatched Arthur's hands in his own and forcibly pried them off his shirt.

"Fuck off." He spat, pushing Arthur away. "I can't help it we're rooming together. Sleep on the damn couch if you want you freaking punk." Alfred's mind reeled in horror at what he'd said, and suddenly he was desperately wishing he could pull the words back into his mouth. Fuck! Sure the idiot has been pissing him off but even he knew at that moment that what he'd said was uncalled for.

He watched Arthur's eye's narrow dangerously, mouth curling into a furious sneer.

"You little…" Arthur trailed off, fist clenched dangerously at his side. Aw crap. Alfred panicked. No no not here not now. I would love nothing more then to punch this… this idiot but not as we've just freaking walked in the door!

"Arthur!" The smaller blondes fist movement halted abruptly, green eyes sliding over to the cabin door. Francis stood panting against the doorframe, eyes wide in surprise and worry.

"What are you doing? Of all the times to start a fight now is NOT one of them!"

Arthur bit his lip, giving the French boy an icy glare before shifting his eyes back to Alfred. "I'm not dealing with this." He muttered suddenly. Turning on his heel he stomped across the wooden floor and over to a set of split stairs just off the living room.

"I'm going to pick a room. Come up when you want. Never is fine." He growled, back still turned to the group. Turning his head to give a final sour look in Alfred's direction, he stomped loudly up the stairs and out of sight.

The three remaining boys looked at each other silently.

"Well. That went well." Soren sighed, resting his head in one hand. "Alfred don't stand there like a rabbit snap out of it. Do you want Matty to know that not 3 minutes into this thing you're already fighting?"

Alfred shook his head violently; shuddering at the thought that his Canadian friend would find out what had just happened. It was lucky Matthew wasn't as strong as fast as them or he may have made it up the stairs sooner. And then what? He would have been furious.

"Yea." He muttered eyes locked on the floor. "Yea you're right. Matty would kill me." He laughed. "Even after you guy's told me to…" He cast a wary glance at Francis and shook his head. "Whatever. I'll wait here for everyone else. Besides…" He grinned flashing Soren a smile, "I want to know who you got paired up with."

Soren shrugged. "Didn't get to check the list through all that…"

"What exactly was 'that'?" Francis interrupted, gaze locked pointedly on Alfred.

"Ah well. It turns out he and I are sharing a room." Alfred joked half-heartedly. "Imagine that luck." He watched Francis's eyes grow wide in surprise.

"You and… 'im are…?" The French boy shook his head and sighed heavily. "Wonderful. I'm taking the room on the opposite end of the house if you don't mind."

"It's all yours." Alfred replied tersely. Even if Matthew seemed ok with this guy, Alfred still wasn't to sure about him.

"Guy's what's going on in here?"

Alfred smiled at the familiar voice. Speak of the devil.

"Ah ha-ha we're just figuring out rooms Matty." He grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "Where the heck is everyone else? I thought for sure you would at least be behind Berwald."

"Ah well…" Matthew said jabbing his thumb behind him. "Gilbert and Elizaveta started fighting on the stairs and everyone else kind of got pulled into it one way or another. Basically there are bags on the ground everywhere out there. I barely escaped with my life!"

"Drama queen." Soren laughed, rolling his eyes.

Matthew stuck out his tongue, but smiled at his friend. "Yea yea." He chuckled. "So who are you…?" He paused, and Alfred watched as his violet blue eyes grew wide in surprise.

"Oh I hadn't realized I wasn't the only one who made it up." He said, staring at Francis. Francis smiled brightly, nodding gently to Matthew.

"Ah yes I made it up just before 'zat ruckus started. We were all just checking room assignments."

Alfred frowned as Matthew swallowed nervously. He can handle it himself yea right. He thought. He's totally nervous, just like he is around everyone he first meets.

"Speaking of, I need to check mine." Soren said suddenly, turning his attention to the piece of paper. His eyes scanned it quickly, stopping not even a second after they had begun to move.

"Oh that guy." Soren sighed. "Could be worse I guess."

"Why? Who're you with?" Alfred asked curiously, peering over at the sheet.

"That Lukas kid. You know the one that didn't stand at first?"

"Oh him." Matthew laughed. "Yes I do remember. Well if anything he seems pretty quiet so you won't have any trouble there." He turned to Alfred, eye's gleaming expectantly. "Who are you with Al?"

Alfred flicked his eyes nervously to the ceiling. "Aha well turns out I somehow got paired up with Kirkland."

Matthew's eyes flashed in alarm. "Wait what? But what are the odds of that?"

Alfred shrugged. "One in eighteen. Seems like someone hate's me today if this happened despite those odds."

Matthew shook his head, stepping close enough to Alfred that he could put his hand on his shoulder. "Can you at least try to get along?" He pleaded. "Please Alfred? You know how much getting to international means to me."

Alfred sighed, but nodded begrudgingly. "Yea. Alright I'll try ok?"

Matthew smiled and hugged Alfred tightly. "Thank you thank you! As long as you try I have no complaints!"

"Yea you better not!" Alfred muttered, tugging at the smaller blonde's lose curl. "You're lucky I'm agreeing to this! If you weren't like my brother I would probably have laughed at you. Or taken you to a mental institution whichever would help more."

"Not to interrupt your moment but can I look at the list now?" Francis said suddenly.

Matthew's face burned scarlet and he nodded, stepping quickly away from Alfred to make way fro Francis. Alfred tensed as he watched the other boy pass them, slowly and deliberately. Alfred was doing it again, judging before knowing, and he hated it. Btu there was something about him, just like Arthur, that Alfred didn't like. He bit back and angry remark as he glimpsed Francis's hand brush Matthew's, eliciting a cry of surprise from his friend.

"Ah sorry!" He murmured quickly, jumping backward. Francis smiled pleasantly at him and shook his head.

"It's alright mon cher that was my fault."

Matthew's face lit up again and his mouth moved to form unreadable words, but he was otherwise silent. Francis leaned over the list, eyes darting across the names and searching for his own.

"Hm here we are. I'm with…" He trailed off a pleased smile working it's way to his face. "It would seem I'm rooming with you Mathieu." He said matter-o-factly.

"M-me?" Matthew cried, clutching his bag more tightly to his body. "Oh well um alright then." He smiled nervously.

"Would you like to pick the room or can I do 'zat?"

Matthew shook his head. "No no it's um o-ok."

"Perfect. Come on 'zen we should put our things away no?" Grabbing a flustered Matthew by the wrist, the Frenchman dragged him across the room and up the stairs before Alfred or Sore could get a word in edgewise.

"God save his soul." Soren muttered. "I'm not sure I trust that one around Matthew."

Alfred sighed, watching the stairs where the two had previously ascended. "Not much we can do about it. Oh look, seems like the others re finally here." Indeed they were. The front door swung open, revealing a bright eyed silver haired boy followed by the rest of them.

"You idiot if you ever do something like that again I'll bash your skull in." A voice that sounded like Romano's snapped.

"Kesesesesesese don't be such a kid, kid. I'm older then all of you so I get supreme authority! Whoohoo!" Gilbert yelled. "That means I'm more awesome then all of you! And I get to order you around!"

"How exactly did you get accepted to this school again?" Elizaveta muttered.

"Cause I'm awesome! Right Antonio?"

The Spanish boy laughed brightly shrugging his shoulders. "Don't' drag me into this mi amigo."

"Ve I wanna see who I'm with!"

"Ah I can't see what's going on."

"Would you idiot's move?"

"This is ridiculous! Keep moving through the door!"

"Everyone should move now, da?" A voice echoed loudly. The last remaining students scrambled through the door, tossing the tall Russian weary glances. With the last person in, the door was slammed shut and they were left to look around.

"Whoa this place isn't as big as I was picturing it." Gilbert muttered.

"Where's the rooming list?" Roderick called. Suddenly, the room was a blur; people pushing and shoving to get a look at the paper.

This is ridiculous! Alfred thought. We're going to kill each other before the school year starts. Stepping backward, he snatched the paper off the counter and hoisted himself onto the granite countertop.

"Alright quiet!" He called, standing on the island. "It won't do any good fighting to see it. I'll go down the list in order and tell you who's with whom. Then you guys can just stand there and listen, ok?"

"Who put you in charge?" Gilbert snapped.

"Le' h'm talk." Berwald said gruffly. "I d'n't see you g'ing up th're to he'p."

"Thank you." Alfred nodded gratefully. He glanced out over the crowd of students, butterflies flitting around in his stomach. Well here goes nothing, he thought.

"Alrighty then! First on the list: Roderich and Gilbert."

"WHAT?"

Alfred winced, covering his ears at the strength if the protest.

"Don't hurt the messenger man." He laughed. "That's what it say's."

"Lovely. If they think I'm going to room with that… that ruffian then they are mistaken." Roderich frowned.

Gilbert snorted, folding his arms. "Yea well I don't want to room with a prick like you either!"

"Guy's." Alfred shouted. "Take it outside. Or at least not in front of everyone else." Like Arthur and I. Alfred thought grimly. I'm really not looking forward to that actually.

"Ok, next we have Soren and Lukas."

Alfred smiled. Soren already knew that, but his partner had to know didn't he? Alfred glanced over at Soren who he found was watching the other boy for a reaction. He got none.

"Cool ok so next is Antonio and Lo- ah I mean Romano."

"Not a chance in hell." Romano snapped. "I'm not rooming with that moron. I'd rather sleep on pine needles."

"Aw you're not very nice." Antonio chuckled, obviously not the least it unnerved by Romano's attitude.

"You fag I'm going to…"

"Ve Fratello be nice!" Feliciano pleaded, interrupting his brother's death threats. Romano muttered what Alfred cold only guess were profanities in some other language and was then silent.

"Alright well then speaking of you Feliciano, you're sharing a room with Ludwig."

The broad shoulder German gave Alfred a startled look and turned his gaze to Feliciano.

"Alright." He said, nodding to Feliciano awkwardly.

"Not alright!" Romano yelled fiercely. "There's no way my brother is staying in the same room as that kraut bastard! Forget about it!"

"Ve Lovino I don't mind." Feliciano smiled. "I don't think he'll be mean to me or anything. Don't worry!"

"That's irrelevant Feli! This isn't…"

"Ok moving on." Alfred called over the auburn haired boy. "Next are Yao and Ivan. Cool?" Yao gave a nervous glance in Ivan's direction but nodded nonetheless. The tall Russian simply smiled broadly.

"Alright Berwald and Tino."

The smaller blonde shot a weak smile towards Berwald (who seemed as if he was trying to stare the smaller boy down) before turning to Lukas and whispering something in his ear.

"Ah then…" He looked over the list raising his eyes in surprise. "Oh. Well Elizaveta has her own room and I guess you do too Kiku cause there's no one left. I mean uh you're on the list but you're by yourself." He laughed. "So yea that's everyone I guess. Join up with your partner and pick a room, remember the uniform fitters are coming in less then an hour." The words tumbled awkwardly out of Alfred's mouth, and it took every ounce of his courage to keep from jumping off the counter. He prided himself on always being able to help people. It was what he did. But he'd never really fancied himself a leader. He was just to… Alfred for that.

Watching the room slowly morph into chaos again as the students made there way to the stairs, he slipped off the table and stepped over to Soren smiling warily.

"Well that was fun." He muttered sarcastically. "I really don't think I want to do that again."

"Why did you offer to in the first place?" Soren snorted. "I would have just let them look for themselves."

"Yea but that's so much less inefficient then just calling out names." He argued. "Besides no one else was going to offer."

Soren rolled his eyes and smiled. "You really need to be less nice you know that?"

"If I was nice I wouldn't be fighting with Arthur."

Soren shrugged. "You'll work it out eventually. At least to the point that you're not beating each other up."

"Go." Alfred laughed, shoving his friend into the crowd. "You need to find a room with your new 'buddy'."

"Don't remind me." Soren grumbled. "I can't believe I got stuck with the snow cone. Seriously I don't think he's said more then a couple words since this whole thing started." He shook his head, running a large hand through his spiky blonde hair. "Anyway you coming up?"

"Nah maybe later." He replied. "I'm just gonna crash down here for a little while and wait for Arthur to cool off. I'd really prefer not to have a lamp shaped indent in my skull come Monday."

"Good luck man." Soren chuckled, saluting him as he backed up the stairs.

"You too. And if you happened to figure out which room is Matty's…"

"I'll make sure he's still alive." He grinned. With a final nod, the tall Dane disappeared around the corner of the stairs, leaving Alfred once again alone in the large room.

"I'll give him five minutes." Alfred sighed, slumping into the single chair in the room. Twiddling his thumbs, he thought back absentmindedly on his old school. His one-month high school. Pretty much everyone from the school were kids who had moved up from the middle school so everyone knew each other. There hadn't been any introductions the first day. No 'hi nice to meet you's' and what not. It was simple, easy and boring.

Alfred glanced around the room, fixing his eyes on the fireplace. But this; this was unlike anything he'd ever even dreamed existed. Suddenly every thing was different and he had so many choices to make.

"How badly do I want to get to international?" He murmured to himself in the quiet. That was a valid question. It would determine how much effort he put into the teamwork aspect of any of this. If he was to be honest with himself, it didn't matter to him either way. But Matty wants to go. He thought. He bit his lip and stared up at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of footsteps overhead.

Matty had been the first one to really talk to him. Sure those girls had run right up to him even at that young an age, and some of the guys did say hello and were friendly with him, but Matty actually talked. Talked and listened.

They'd been seated next to each other in English after the third week of school. Alfred had been getting along at a mediocre level, just sort of gliding through his classes and talking to who ever said hello. At that point, Alfred had been sure he'd talked to everyone in his grade at least once. So his surprise at the young unfamiliar boy sitting behind him was understandable.

They hit off almost immediately. Matthew was a foreigner just like he was, and although he was a little more quiet and shy then Alfred's old friends, there was something familiar about him that drew Alfred to him like a moth to a flame. From that day one, they were inseparable. Where Alfred went, Matthew followed and where Matthew was so was he. They were like brothers, though the bond that formed between them was thicker then any blood in the world and Matthew became one of the most important people to him.

The next year, Soren transferred in and the trio was born.

Alfred frowned, pulling his knees close to his chest and clutching his arms around them. What would happen now? What would become of them now that they're destinies had changed so much? Would they still be as close as they were before? He shook his head, burying it between his knees.

"Everything is going to be fine." He murmured. Narrowing his eyes he pushed out of the chair and shook himself. "Don't think stuff like that!" He laughed. "Honestly all this rain is really getting to me." We glanced own at his watch and sighed.

"Alright! Time to go to my room… with Arthur in it… wheeee…"

Throwing his bag over his shoulder, he began his ascent up the stairs. "Hm." He said thoughtfully. "I don't think I even know where the room is now that I think about it." He shrugged and continued upward. Oh well. He thought. I'll find it eventually. Guess I'll just have to knock on some doors or something.

He reached the top of the stairs and gazed down an empty hallway, four rooms on one side of him four on the other, and two next to each other on each side.

"Hmm which one first?"

He stepped slowly down the hall to his right, listening closely at the sounds in the rooms.

"Hey you this is my side of the room you here me? If you get any of your crud on my awesomeness I'll fucking kill you."

"Do not believe for a second I want to touch your atrocious belongings. Keep your things away from me."

Roderich and Gilbert in room one. He laughed inwardly. Stepping away from the first door, he crept over to the second and frowned. Hmm he couldn't hear anything from this one. Could this be Arthur's?

"Ah sorry. How did you want to work our belongings and such? You can use that side if you… is that vodka?"

"Da. In Russia I'm allowed to drink so it's ok. You don't have a problem with it do you?"

"Not as long as you keep it away from me. Honestly."

Alfred had immediately recognized the Asian boy's voice and realized that he must have happened across Yao and Ivan's room. Good luck buddy. He thought, pity lacing his thoughts as he crept to the two doors on the other side.

"What the hell you moron! Get the fuck away from me! Here I'm going to draw a huge fucking line right down the middle. THIS is my side THAT is yours. Got it?

"But Lovi I thought we were going to be friends!

"Who said anything about that? Get lost!"

Alfred covered his ear and stepped away from the door. Yea Romano and Antonio for sure. But damn it where was the room Arthur had chosen? He was the first one up why the heck didn't he choose the first room? He was getting tired of this.

"Arthur?" he called down the hall. He cringed a little. He didn't really like using the Briton's first name but he figured it was more polite and if he was going to try to reconcile with him he had to start somewhere. His voiced echoed against the wooden walls bouncing and reverberating around him.

"Arthur? Hey Arthur where the heck is our ro-agh!" He felt himself being grabbed roughly from behind and he tumbled backward through a suddenly open door and into an unfamiliar room.

"Owww what the heck, who was that? Not cool man." He grumbled, rubbing the back of his head as he lay on the cool floor. Snapping his eyes open he tried desperately to focus on the figure above him, finding there was nothing but blur.

"Huh? Where are my glasses?" He cried, feeling frantically around his eyes. "Ok seriously who is this? Give them back please I need those! I can't see a thing without them!" No reply. "Please! Come on I'm begging! I never beg man so come on give them back!" He felt helpless without his glasses. He couldn't see two inches in front of his face without them. When his glasses were off, he missed everything in front of him. It passed him by like it wasn't even there, and it scared him more then anything in the world not being able to experience the world around him. If he couldn't see anything what could he do? He was no longer the hero. He was just some loser who tripped over his own feet. His hands skimmed the floor around him feeling for his lost spectacles

"Please please please! Come on I'm serious! I'll do anything if you give me my glasses back!"

In the blur, he could make out a figure leaning down toward him and settle at what he assumed was eye level. Slowly, a dark object approached his face nearing his eyes at something of a leisurely pace, as if the person was content with taking their time. He felt fingers brush his cheek on a path that eventually led to his ears, where the digits rested something cold and familiar in the crevice between his ears and his hair. He suppressed a shudder at the contact, the cool fingers slipping across his skin in an almost sensual fashion that made him wonder suddenly just who the heck he was dealing with.

With the hooks of his glasses in place, he felt the figure slowly lowering the frames toward his nose at a pace still as dawdling as ever. He closed his eyes, feeling the glasses finally coming down on his bridge. He would screw his eyes up if he didn't close them first; going straight from such blur to clarity would make him dizzy. As the cool bridge settled on his nose, he sensed the presence of the hands disappear from his face, although the feeling of closeness between he and the other person still remained.

Screwing his eyes up under his eyelids, he slowly opened them, allowing the slightest bit of vision in at a time until he could see clearly.

And suddenly, he was desperately wishing that he had left his eyes closed.

**A/N:** Muahaha finally true interaction! **Dances** so I basically wrote the last part off the top of my head because I had no idea what to write XD But I'm happy I did because this is starting things out just the way I wanted too :D I know this is a short chapter I'm so sorry! But I promise the next one will be waaaaaay longer because I wanted to end it right there XD


	6. Fights and Flirting

Maybe if he had kept his eyes closed, he wouldn't have had to face the person in front of him. Maybe if he had been more careful, he wouldn't have lost his glasses. If he hadn't called out for Arthur in the hall, perhaps he wouldn't have gotten dragged into an unknown room. Better yet, this whole situation could have been avoided if he had left his ass on the couch and not moved a muscle. New lesson learned: don't do anything unless you have to.

"Are you just going to sit there?" The boy in front of him said, smirking widely. "Or are you so helpless that you need me to help you stand too?"

Shaken from his confused trance, Alfred blinked widely and let out a yelp of surprise, jumping away from the other boy. What the hell? What the hell what the hell what the hell?

"You!" He spat pushing himself to his feet and glaring furiously down at Arthur. "You fucking asshole what was that for?"

Arthur stared coolly at him, slinking slowly upward until he was once again at eye level with Alfred. "You wanted to know where the room was. Congratulations. You've found it."

"I wish I hadn't" Alfred snarled, curling his fists at his sides. "Quit messing with me. I don't know what you're problem is but I'm sick of it and you!"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Arthur shot back. "You started this."

"What are you, two?" Alfred snorted, folding his arms. "Don't go blaming this on me I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Like hell you haven't. Take it back."

For once in this 'conversation', Alfred felt genuinely confused and went as far as to cock his head at the other.

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"The punk comment. Take it back." Arthur seethed. Alfred narrowed his eyes and snorted.

"That's what's bothering you? Why the fuck do you care? It's not that big a deal."

"It is to me!" Arthur hissed, stepping forward dangerously.

"Why? Who cares what other people call you or think of you? That doesn't make you what you are. You know what I call people who listen to crap like that? I call them weak."

He wasn't ready for it. He should have seen it coming and ducked when he had the chance. Why didn't he? Who knows? Perhaps it was because despite their equal loathing for each other, he thought that just maybe the smaller boy wouldn't react like he assumed he would. The fist came at him faster then he would have guessed for someone Arthur's size. Fast and accurately. The boy's curled hand landed square at the corner of Alfred's jaw and to his horror, produced an ear-shattering crack.

"Fuck!" He swore, pulling back and clutching his injured mouth. "Fuck fuck fuck! What the hell man?"

"Apologize for what you said and maybe I won't hit you again." Arthur threatened, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

"I'm not going to apologize for that." Alfred snapped. "You apologize first and then I'll apologize for this."

He barely felt his body moving, but he knew it was. Two steps forward, arm pulled back, hand curled, forward motion, impact. His fist collided smack center of Arthur's face as hard as he could manage. Which must have been pretty damn hard because just like his jaw, Arthur's nose produced a sickening cracking sound.

"Ahhhhh!" Arthur hissed painfully, covering his nose. "Ah god I think you broke it you bloody wanker!"

"Good! Payback for my jaw." He snapped, nursing his injured mouth again. "Now we can both apolo-"

Arthur lifted his hands from his nose to touch the bridge tentatively, and as if his hands had been holding back a river like a dam, blood began to gush from his nostrils causing the smaller blonde to let out a cry of surprise and clutch his hands once again under his nose. Blood trickled out between his fingers and on to the hardwood floor, staining the ground with crimson drops.

Oh shit. Alfred panicked. He hadn't meant to make him bleed! Guilt and worry gathered in his gut as he watched Arthur sink to the floor, shirt now acting as a tissue for the blood. Even if it was this guy, he couldn't stand watching people bleed.

"I'm really really sorry! Here let me see it." He said nervously, stepping over to Arthur and bending down to his level. "Seriously I'm really sorry! It's broken isn't it? Do you know how to stop the blood? Is it-."

"Shut ub." Arthur muttered through his shirt. "Id not like I haben't had a bloody node before. I've broken id before too so id doesn't hurd dat much. I just hope id doesn't leab a bump."

"I really am sorry." Alfred said, biting his lip.

"Ib I say I'm sorry too will you go away?" Arthur hissed as best he could through the fabric. "Im sorry ok? Sorry for dis morning, sorry for earlier sorry for now. I still hade you, bud I owe my friend and apology to you and what better time den now? Now ged lost."

Alfred narrowed his eyes and sighed, settling down on the floor. "I want nothing more then to walk away. But this is my room too and I need to unpack. Besides, my hero instincts won't let me leave someone in trouble no matter who they are."

"Bloody hell not only do I despise you, now I'm pretty sure you're mental." Arthur muttered, speech returning to normal.

"At least we can agree on not liking each other." Alfred shrugged. "Look. I'm going to make this simple. I'm going to try to get along with you. Not because I want to be friends, not because I feel it's the right thing to do, but because it means a lot to some one important to me and he wants nothing more then to get to international. If that's going to happen we all have to get along here and I'm not going to let myself be the one that drags us down."

"Fine by me." Arthur snapped. "As long as I don't have to talk to you or see you any more then necessary I can work with that."

"Good."

"Good."

Alfred turned away, eyeing the floor. "Why did you take my glasses?" He asked suddenly. "Better yet why did you give them back? You could have crushed them or hidden them or thrown them out a window."

Arthur stared at him curiously, lifting his nose out from under his blood soaked collar. "I don't know. You looked weird without them I guess. It's hard enough looking at you as is, I didn't need to have you look even weirder." He smirked suddenly, getting to his feet and looming over Alfred. "I'm going to hold you to that I'll do anything bit by the way."

Alfred swore internally, but nodded. "Fine. A hero never goes back on his word, so I'll keep to that." Pushing himself up (more then happy to have the height advantage back) he stuck out his hand. "Can we agree on tolerating each other?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes and for a moment, Alfred wondered if he wasn't going to agree. But the Briton nodded and although he didn't return the attempted handshake, that was good enough.

"Let's make this clear now. This is my side, that is yours." Arthur said suddenly, gesturing to either side of the room. "Keep your crap on your side. Don't touch my stuff, don't cross the line I'm definitely going to draw, and absolutely do NOT talk to me."

Alfred felt the familiar feeling of dislike rise in his gut and bit his lip to hold back a nasty retort. He still really couldn't stand this guy.

"Yea fine whatever." He grumbled, picking his own bag up off the floor and plopping it on his bed. Arthur turned away, seemingly ignoring his response and went about unpacking his own bag, giving Alfred the chance to really get a good look at the room. It was relatively big, bigger room then his room at home at least. Two beds sat pressed against opposite walls of the room, large windows situated above both. Long white curtains hung from above them, blocking what insignificant amount of daylight may have been able to seep into the room what with the cloudy weather.

A small fan hung from the ceiling, the lights that were currently illuminating the room attached to it and filling the space with iridescent light. Besides that, there weren't any other light sources. The oaken blades of the fan spun lazily about, as if someone had just turned off the switch and it was slowing down. Oddly, it reminded him of his own useless fan and he suppressed a chuckle at the thought.

On each side of the room opposite the door and pressed snug against the wall, sat identical wooden dressers, just about a head shorter in height the Alfred was. On both sat a small alarm clock, but other then that both appeared to be bare.

The bed where his belongings currently sat was adorned with cream white sheets and a black comforter folded at the foot of the bed. He placed his hand on the sheets and sighed. They were scratchy, like straw. Not at all soft like his at home. But I guess that's to be expected. He laughed inwardly. Still, you would think such a rich school would at least have soft covers on their beds.

Other then that, the room was empty and simple. Like the picture of a dorm room. I wonder if there's a T.V anywhere in this place, he thought to himself taking another glance around the room. Are there any more floors in this cabin? He blinked slowly and realized that of course there had to be. There were only 8 rooms on this floor, and they needed ten to fit all of them. That must be where the other set of stairs spit off too, he decided.

A thump from the room next door drew him from his thoughts, causing him to spare a glance over his shoulder to the other wall. Antonio and Romano must be fighting or something. Arthur was glaring at the wall, an agitated expression on his face.

Speaking of other people, I wonder how Matty and Soren are doing right now? He mused, turning back to his bag. I hope they're doing all right. A second later, as if on cue, a familiar sounding shriek echoed thru the hall and Alfred felt his heart drop into his stomach.

O ~ O ~ O

"I'm fine Alfred I promise!" Matthew insisted, desperately attempting to get the taller blonde to cease his pacing. "I was just startled is all."

"Startled my ass." Alfred snapped. "I thought you had hurt yourself or something! Instead I find that- that wine bastard harassing you!"

"He just startled me, I already said the Alfred." Matthew sighed at his friend.

Alfred crossed his arms in dislike and leaned against the wall. One minute he'd been standing there unpacking his things, and the next he heard Matthew yelling in the hall. When he'd run out to see what was going on he saw his Canadian friend sprawled on his back on the ground just outside an open door, and clearly upset expression on his face. He ran over, kneeling down beside his friend and allowing his stomach to churn in worry. "Matty are you hurt? What's the matter, what happened?" He forced himself to ignore the stares of others from newly open doors and nodded at Matthew, goading him to speak.

"Ahaha oh it's nothing Francis just startled me a little is all and I tripped out the door." He laughed, glancing back through the door. Alfred frowned and let his own eyes wander to the room, only to see the French boy standing in the doorway with something of an awestruck expression on his face as he stared down at them. Grabbing his friend's hand and pulling him to his feet, he began to drag his friend away from the door. He'd known Matthew long enough that he could tell when he was lying, and that was absolutely the most faux smile he'd ever seen. Who did he think he was fooling?

"What's going on? What happened Matthew?" Soren called as he jogged up beside them. "Alfred did he get hurt? Matty why did you scream like that what's going on?" He asked persistently.

"Ah guys really I'm ok it's… oh my god Alfred what happened to your face? You have a huge bruise on your jaw!" He cried suddenly, pulling himself out of Alfred's grip to get a better look at the large purple and black splotch on the side of his face.

"Looks like he and Arthur really hit off." Soren mused, smirking all the while.

"Hahaha." Alfred grumbled, covering his bruised mouth. "It's fine really. Besides that's not the issue here! What did he-"

"What's going on out here?"

Lovely. More trouble. Alfred grumbled inwardly. "None of your business." He growled, not sparing the Briton a passing glance. "Go away."

"Angletere?" a voice called curiously from behind them.

"Oh hey look, it's your buddy." He muttered, pulling his hand from his face. "Hey here's an idea. Why don't you two stay up here and plot more way's to ruin our lives while we go downstairs and try to figure what sort of mental trauma you've inflicted on my friend? Sounds like a plan to me." Without another word, he grasped Matthews's wrist tightly while simultaneously hooking his hand around Soren's arm and pulled them brusquely down the stairs.

"I don't like it." Alfred huffed, pulling his mind from the memory and pushing himself away from the wall. "I don't care what the rules say, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be rooming with him!"

"For once, I agree with him Matty." Soren cut in. "I trust that guy about as much as I trust him," he jabbed his finger at Alfred, "with my life. I really think you should at least consider asking for a room change. But it's not about us. It's about you. So do you think you can deal with him?"

Matthew bit his lip, casting a nervous look at the ground. "I'm not sure." He responded finally. "He's just- just the type of person I don't think I'll get along with to well. I saw him flirting with Ms. Katherine on the way up here, as well as Elizaveta. And I think…" He trailed off weakly throwing his friends an awkward smile. "I think he must think I'm a girl because I could swear that he's flirting with me too." He laughed.

Alfred and Soren exchanged a worry glance and looked down at Matthew again. Not good. Alfred thought worriedly.

"I mean, he really does seem like a flirt doesn't he? Ugh I just I can't stand people like that!" Matthew said. His voice seemed to be losing its gentle overtone, and Alfred couldn't help but smile at the sharp edge that was creeping back into it. Now that, that was the Matthew he knew! Now that they were so close, it seemed so weird seeing Matthew all quiet and nervous. Of course that gentle solemn feel was a big part of his friend, but he'd gotten quite used to and comfortable with the Canadians louder side.

"Ahhhh I don't know!" Matthew cried, covering his head with his hands. "And I'm serious about the flirting with me thing guy's I don't know how to describe it but it was… odd." He finished. "I know I look like a girl but come on!"

"Maybe he's gay." Soren interjected.

Matthew shook his head. "No he was flirting with girls, remember? I just don't know what to make of it. Maybe he'd just trying to get under my skin, or tease me."

"Well whatever it is, Matthew you can't let him do it." Alfred said firmly. "Especially not if you have to room with that psycho."

"Speak for yourself." Matthew sighed, rolling his eyes. "Honestly not ten minutes together in that room and you and Arthur are already tearing each other apart. Didn't you promise you were going to try to get along? It looked like Arthur's nose was bruised too. Just how many punches did you two throw at each other?"

"Two." Alfred muttered. "Combined total of two. I think he dislodged my jaw, and I probably broke his nose."

"Wonderful." Matthew moaned, shaking his head. "Just what we need."

"Sorry." Alfred replied, giving them an innocent look. "But hey Soren how's your room mate?"

Soren rolled his eyes and sunk into the couch beside Matthew. "Wonderful. I swear why did I have to end up with the ice cube kid? I've had longer conversations with a mirror."

"That bad huh?" Alfred chuckled. Soren nodded, tugging at the end of his shirt.

"He won't talk to me man! I've gotten four words out of him and they were 'stay away from me'." He sighed. "Plus there's the fact that he sort of looks like a girl which makes it awkward for me."

"You think he looks like a girl?" Alfred asked incredulously.

"Well he kind of does! And it's freaking putting me off."

"Hate to say it, but I think you got the best one out of all of us." Alfred snickered. "At least you'll have quiet right?"

"Yea I know I know." Soren sighed. "Still I just want him to talk! I mean seriously how can any person be that damn quiet? I'm definitely going to get him to talk to me."

"Whatever you say." Alfred responded. "Back to the issue at hand. You're not staying in the same room as him Matthew."

"Alfred I promise you, I'll be ok." He insisted. "I may not like it, but rules are rules and I'll learn to get used to it."

"I just don't-"

"Excuse me, can I come in?"

The trio turned in surprise at the mature feminine voice coming from behind the front door, tossing each other confused glances. Was it the seamstress? But she was really early if it was; there was at least another twenty minutes before she was supposed to be there.

"Um hello? Is anyone there?"

"Oh yea sorry!" Alfred called, jogging over and tugging on the handle. "We were just wondering who it was, that's all."

"Oh it's ok." The voice replied pleasantly.

Alfred's eyes widened in surprise as the last of the door vanished to his side, and he stood staring at the woman. By the sound of her voice, he would have guessed she was much older. But this girl looked not to many years older then themselves, at maximum 19. She had sandy blonde hair that was pulled back in a loose ponytail, with bangs that hung to the side and framed her face. Her eyes were a shimmering light green, illuminating her face almost as much as her brilliant smile did. The girl was short; even with the step height difference, Alfred could tell he was at least several inches taller then her. Dressed in attire that reminded him of counselors at summer camp, she clutched a clipboard in her right hand and was fiddling with a pen in her other. This was definitely not the seamstress.

"Can I come in?" She laughed. "I mean if you want I can just stay here but you're going to have to do my job for me."

"Ah! S-sorry!" He stammered, stepping back and holding open the door.

Soren and Matthew, who Alfred noticed were both standing now, nodded politely to the girl as she stepped in the door.

"I'm Laura." She began. "I'm the one who's going to check up on Elizaveta on a regular basis. You all know about that right?"

They nodded in unison. "Yes the chairman informed us at the meeting." Matthew responded.

"Good so you know why I'm here." She laughed. "It's customary for all the girls rooming alone with boy's, so I'll be here at least one every week to check up on how she's handling…" she trailed off looking them over. "Well all of you." Laura laughed.

"Can you show me where he room is?"

Alfred shook his head. "No, sorry. I'm afraid you're just going to have to knock on doors until you find it. I can tell you where her room isn't though." He grimaced, remembering his eavesdropping and horrible run in with Arthur. "My guess is she's in one of the rooms on the third floor. Well her and Kiku."

"Dude there's a third floor?" Soren cried. "Awesome!"

"Yes all the cabins have three floors." Laura chuckled. There are four more rooms upstairs, as well as another living room with a balcony off the back."

"Now that is sick." Alfred cried. "There wouldn't happen to be a T.V up there, would there?"

She shook her head. "Not until you all earn one, no."

"Damn." Soren muttered, crossing his arms.

"Soren!" Matthew hissed, elbowing their friend. "Language!"

She laughed gently, giving them a small smile. "Don't worry you'll get there eventually. And don't worry I was a kid too. Still am. I don't mind the swearing, just don't do it around the teachers."

Matthew blushed crimson and uttered a meek, "Thank you."

"Good! Now I have to find Elizaveta. What were your names?"

"Soren." The Dane spoke up immediately, flashing her a warm grin. Alfred rolled his eyes, tossing Matthew a wry smile. There he went, flirting with the first pretty girl he had a conversation with. Suddenly, he realized that his friend must really feel like Francis was a terrible player. After all, he put up with Soren's antics and Alfred still had yet to meet anyone as bad as him.

"I'm Matthew." His Canadian friend said suddenly, obviously trying to put an end to Soren's flirting.

"And I'm Alfred." He grinned, wincing at the pain still pulsating from his jaw. Damn no smiling for a while.

Laura's eyes widened in surprise, as if she was just getting a good look at him. "My goodness! What happened to your jaw?" She asked, concern brimming in her voice.

"Ahaha." He laughed nervously, clutching his mouth. "Oh this? I just fell and banged it up bad." He felt his heart clench at the lie, guilt taking hold of his body. God I hate lying. He thought miserably. But if I tell her we were fighting it will cause problems.

"That looks pretty bad to just be from a fall." She replied, peering at it through his fingers. "It almost looks like you got-"

"Is 'zere someone else here?" A voice called from the stair, interrupting the young woman. Alfred grimaced at the familiar accent.

"Ah who is 'zis?" Francis inquired, voice creeping closer and footsteps approaching where the trio stood.

Laura smiled to him, nodding her head. "I'm Laura. I'm one of the counselors here and the one who's going to be checking up on Elizaveta once a week."

Alfred tensed as he felt the French boy brush past him toward the girl at the center of the circle. "It is a pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman." He smiled warmly, bowing deeply and taking her hand. "My name is Francis Bonnefoy. I hope we get to know each other well Ms. Laura."

Alfred could almost hear Matthew's jaw drop to the floor next to him, and would have worried about his own had he not been able to feel it still throbbing in pain. He had never, NEVER in all his years met anyone as bad as this guy. Alfred took back what he said about Soren. His friend was a saint compared to Francis now. Oh sure the words were sweet and gentlemanly, but he'd seen Soren flirt enough to know that the only think Francis was trying to get out of this poor girl was a kiss and most likely something extra.

"Why thank you!" She chuckled, cheeks glowing a light pink. "Aren't you sweet? It's a pleasure to meet you as well. I am sorry to be rushing off so quickly but I really do have to find Elizaveta."

"Allow me to help you find her." Francis smiled innocently. "I'm sure it would only take a minute and I-"

Before he could get another charming word in, an ear piercing scream echoed through the house.

"What the hell was that?" Soren cried.

"That was a girls scream no doubt." Matthew said, concern pooling in his violet eyes. "It must have been Elizaveta."

"Oh dear." Laura murmured. Pushing past the boys, she hurried to the stairs and out of sight, up the other side of the winding steps.

"That's not the way we went up." Alfred said. "Guess she really does know the lay out of these cabins huh? She must be going up to the other rooms."

"Well come on let's follow her!" Soren grinned mischievously. "It can't hurt can it?"

"Anything to get away from him." Alfred muttered inaudibly, casting his cobalt gaze toward Francis. "Let's go."

O ~ O ~ O

After a quick dash up the stairs and a turn down the hall, the trio (plus an unfortunate tag along) found themselves in a very different part of the house and standing behind the bewildered counselor as she gawked awkwardly into a room.

"What happened?" Alfred inquired, pushing his way to the doorway. Was she hurt? But if she were hurt Laura wouldn't be standing their gawking.

"Hey Elizaveta what's the…" He blinked slowly as the room came into full view. Well Elizaveta was in their all right. Sitting on a single bed right next to Kiku. She was clutching a book to her chest, giving the five people now standing in front of her doorway a curious look.

"What the fuck is going on?" Alfred asked, filling the silence. "What was that scream?"

"Ah! Alfred-san!" Kiku cried, rising suddenly as if he had just realized they were there. "I didn't see all of you there!" He bowed apologetically and turned his hooded brown eyes back to the girl on the bed. "I'm sorry about that its-"

"Why are you in a girls room?" Laura asked firmly. "You should know it's against the rules for boys to enter a female team mates room. What were you doing on her bed pray tell?"

Kiku's face burned bright red and he began waving his hands frantically in front of him, shaking his head side to side. "No no no ah prease do not misunderstand the situation! Elizaveta-san and I were just talking! It was nothing like that I promise!"

"Of course it wasn't anything like that!" Elizaveta said, supporting the flustered Japanese boy. "Kiku and I really were just talking!"

"Then what was that scream?" Laura sighed, holding her fingers on the bridge of her nose.

"Ah well we started talking and found out that we have some similar interests and he showed me this book…" She raised the book hesitantly before swiping it behind her back. "And I got really excited because it's something I've been looking for a while now so I got really excited and just sort of you know screamed." She smiled nervously, tugging on her short ponytail. "We're not in trouble are we?"

Laura shook her head, stepping into the room and giving the two a wry smile. "No you're not in trouble. But please don't be so reckless. You really worried us. Besides that it really is against the rules to have a boy in your room so I'm afraid if you two want to talk you'll have to do it out in the halls."

The two nodded obediently, Kiku still fiddling with his hands and keeping his eyes pointedly at the ground.

"Good!" Laura smiled. "I'm Laura, your counselor. I'll be checking up on you to see how you're doing every week Elizaveta. If you're having trouble with the boys or anything else here, just tell me and we'll work something out all right? By the way?"

Laura leaned in to the other girl's ear and whispered something inaudible, causing a bright smile to leap to Elizaveta's face. "What seriously?" she squeaked happily. "That's awesome! You can borrow the book any time you want! I mean as long as it's ok with Kiku." She tossed the black haired boy a questioning glance and he simply nodded with a dumbstruck expression.

"Ah yes of course. You can keep it actuary. I have my own copy so…"

"Nice!" Elizaveta laughed. "Thank you so much!"

Alfred blinked slowly, still trying to wrap his mind around the scene. What the fuck was going on here exactly? What was that book?

"Auuugh geeze I'm so confused but whatever!" He cried shaking his head. "You're ok so we better get back to unpacking and stuff. Besides we're getting fitted soon right?"

Laura nodded. "That's right. You're welcome to explore the upstairs as well if you'd like though. Ah but I would suggest unpacking and the like first." She laughed. "Well it was a pleasure to meet you," she said turning back to Elizaveta and shaking her hand. "I hope I can come by and steal the book from you some time. Oh and it was wonderful meeting you as well." She smiled, shaking Kiku's hand. "Well. I'll see you all later all right? Be good and try not to cause to much trouble ok?" With a final grin, she slid past Alfred out the door, waved, and descended down the stairs and out of sight.

"Well that was… interesting." Soren muttered, scratching his head. "I'm still majorly missing something here but she's right we better get back to unpacking and sorting things out."

"Did I here a scream?" A voice called from the stairwell. A brunette haired boy stepped into the hallway, head tilted curiously. "Is everything alright? Who was that woman that just walked down the stairs?"

"Yea you're a little late dude." Soren laughed. "Everything's fine."

Roderich nodded uncertainly. "Well alright if you say so. It's just-"

"Hey! What's going on up here?" Gilbert called, peeking his head around the corner.

"Could you not follow me?" Roderich muttered. "It's annoying."

"I wasn't following you!" Gilbert snapped, pushing past the other boy. "Why the hell would someone as awesome as me follow you? I just wanted to know what was going on that's all. It sounded like some girl screaming which surprised me since there aren't any girls here."

"You bastard!" Elizaveta snarled from inside the room. "I heard that!"

Aw shit I'm totally in the line of fire here. Alfred thought miserably, taking a step back. Elizaveta stormed past him, ignoring a few muttered protests from Kiku, and out into the hall where she could directly see the German boy. She scowled, placing her hands on her hips and shaking her head.

"You're pathetic you know that?" she yelled. "Would you stop it already? What did I do to you that made you so mean to me? Knock it off already."

Gilbert's confident gaze flickered suddenly, odd red eyes pooling with what Alfred almost thought was worry, before regaining their self assured gleam.

"What are you going to hit me?" He taunted. "Not only am I a year older then you kid, I'm also a boy. You'd get your ass kicked so don't even try."

"I'd like to see you prove it." Elizaveta growled, taking a dangerous step forward. The trio tossed each other uncertain glances. What was the best thing to do in a situation like this? A hero would surely try to stop them, but Alfred wasn't sure exactly how to go about doing that. After all not even a hero got between a red scarf and a raging bull if he could help it.

"Gilbert that is enough." The sudden intrusion must have shocked Elizaveta as much as it shocked him, because the frowning girls face alit with sudden surprise at the words.

"You're obnoxious and bothering me. Besides that she is correct. Ms. Elizaveta has done nothing to warrant this behavior and it is a horrible thing to do, insulting a young ladylike that." Roderich scolded coldly. "I'm sick of all this fighting already. Antonio and Romano are still at it down there, and you-" he glared pointedly at Alfred. "Were fighting as well until just recently. This nonsense is ridiculous and I'd like an end to it."

"Easier said then done." Soren muttered rolling his eyes.

"He's right." Matthew stepped in nervously. "You can't just ask something like that of people so suddenly! I mean of course I'd like the fighting to stop…" he trailed off and Alfred found himself once again the center of attention. "But it's not fair to just tell people to change! And look at you, you're arguing with Gilbert aren't you? You don't have any place to lecture people."

Alfred felt a proud grin work its way up his mouth. It wasn't like Matthew to speak so freely to people he didn't know. He flicked his eyes sideway to glance at the two quieter members of the conversation. Kiku was standing at the edge of the room, fumbling nervously with his hands and looking like he wanted to say something, and Francis was standing behind them oddly quiet.

"You-" Roderich began to shoot back.

"Hey! Would you wankers shut the bloody hell up?" Alfred grit his teeth at the sudden sound of a severely unwanted voice amongst them. Arthur Kirkland appeared slowly from the staircase, eyes narrowed dangerously and almost immediately meeting his own.

"You're all so loud you didn't even hear the door bell ring. There's a woman downstairs at the door with a tape measure in her hands and she wants the lot of us. Don't know if you noticed but you all have been up here for nearly 20 fucking minutes doing god knows what. Now shut up and get downstairs before I have to drag you there myself!" And without another word (and a final nasty look at Alfred) the small British boy turned on his heels and stormed down the stairs leaving the group in an awestruck silence.


	7. Measuring and Misconceptions

A/N: Finally! We have a new chapter! :D Oh this is a little random but I want you to know that I read all your comments like 100 times and think about replies to all of them but I never have time to type up my responses! One of these chapters I'm going to do that I swear. Actually there's one reviewer I'd like to reply to simply because of confusion and it's

**Bakura From School**- thank you so much! Your review means a lot! And I really like Denmark's involvement too, but I think you're confusing one of the characters for someone else because I haven't included Holland in the story (yet) lol.

ahahahaaaa on that note everyone seemed to be under the impression that Laura was Belgium. Now where exactly did I say she was Belgium? XD Anyway you guy's have gotten me hooked on the idea so I've decided she WILL be Belgium, but because it's deterring me from my original plan, there's gonna be something a little surprising that comes up involving her because I don't really want to completely scratch the role I had for her in the beginning lol.

Once again thank you for your reviews and putting up with my lateness!

Onward!

O ~ O ~O

"What a bunch of idiots." Arthur hissed outwardly as he stormed back down the stairs. "I swear if the lot of them cold get any more obnoxious..."

"Ve Arthur did you get them?" Feliciano called as he entered the room. Arthur nodded, crossing his arms.

"Yea they're coming." He muttered, casting a glance at the smiling woman by the door holding a tape measure. Had they really been in this cabin for an hour? It felt like only a couple seconds.

"Can you explain again how this is going to work?" Ludwig asked. The broad German stood alone in a corner at the other end of the room, and as far away from Feliciano as possible. Seems like they're not getting along either. Arthur mused, looking over at the peppy Italian.

"I will love, don't you worry." The woman chuckled, pulling off her brightly colored scarf. "But I think it's best we wait until the others have gotten down here. Then I don't have to explain it twice."

Arthur sighed, rubbing his hand thru his hair impatiently. What was taking them so long NOW? He'd just told them they were to come downstairs! And clearly he wasn't the only one getting annoyed. Yao was pacing around the island of the kitchen, a troubled frown tugging at his lips, while Ivan stood nearby drumming his fingers on the wall. He shuddered inwardly. Though no words had been exchanged between the Russian and the young Chinese boy, there was this horribly fierce and hostile air that sparked between them, engulfing the room in a tense haze. Whatever had gone on between them, Arthur could only guess it wasn't good. His eyes flitted to Romano and Antonio. Well at least the air there wasn't so tense. More agitated then anything else, and all of it coming from the chestnut haired Italian. Romano was lying on one end of the couch, scowling at a smiling Antonio at the other end.

Berwald was standing just a little always from him, eyes closed as if in thought. His smaller roommate, Tino, was hovering around the door next to Lukas and whispering to him. The timid looking blonde was wringing his hands nervously, occasionally ceasing the action to lean over and speak into the others ear. Lukas gave only a small nod each time and had only once turned to whisper back to him. I wonder if they're brothers. Arthur thought. They certainly did look enough alike. But if he remembered their last names were different. Cousin's maybe? Or just friends. Arthur decided he would assume the latter for now.

"Alright we're here what's going on?"

Arthur twitched visibly at the sound of the American's voice. Damn bloody wanker, he thought, rubbing his sore nose. The swelling was still pretty bad but no nearly as awful as when the bastard had hit him. Arthur was ashamed to admit that he had severely underestimated the other boy's right hook.

"The seamstress is here to take our measurements." Ludwig answered gruffly from the far end of the room. "Now hurry up! We don't have all day!"

"Yea yea coming we're coming." He heard Alfred mutter. Arthur tensed as he felt the other boy brush roughly past him, the American not giving him a passing glance as he stopped by the large fireplace on the other side of the room, his friends in tow. Gilbert and Roderich were glaring vehemently at each other, and Elizaveta seemed to be emitting her own murderous vibes from behind them, but not one of the trio spoke a word. Francis stepped down next, tossing Arthur a shrug before falling in next to him. He would have to ask the frog about what had happened later. The final to creep down the stairs was Kiku, wearing a befuddled expression on his face as if he was trying to make sense of what had happened upstairs. He must have caught Arthur glancing at him, because he gave the Briton a small nod and a polite smile before walking over to stand next to Yao. He's not so bad, is he? Arthur smiled inwardly. If he was going to make a friend in this damned place perhaps it would be him.

"Now that you're all here, I can start." The woman said suddenly. "I'm only here to take measurements, nothing more. As I'm sure you've already been told you won't be getting your uniforms until Monday morning. Taking measurements can be a little arduous so don't worry I'm not going to make you all stand around for this. However I'm going to ask that all of you return to your rooms and stay there until I'm finished. I'll come by each room one at a time and then move to the next. As far as the measuring itself well I'll explain that to you all individually."

"No way! I'm not staying cooped up in that tiny little room with that idiot any more then I have to!" Romano spat in protest.

"It's not such a big deal Roma." Antonio. Arthur frowned, cocking his head curiously at the Spanish boy. Was that agitation he heard creeping into the brunette's voice? It seemed even Antonio's happy go lucky demeanor was starting to break down.

"Don't call me that!" Romano shot back.

"Would you rather I called you Lovi?" Antonio teased, an amuse grin slipping back onto his face. Romano's cheeks glowed red as he scowled menacingly at the other boy.

"Don't call me anything! Just shut up!"

"Can you cut out your lovers spat for a moment and give other people a chance to talk?" Soren broke in. "Why do we have to stay in our rooms? Is it seriously necessary? I mean in case you hadn't noticed lady, we're not exactly one big happy family here. We don't really get along." At least some one admits it, Arthur thought inwardly.

"Damn right! How could anyone get along with that guy?" Gilbert yelled, pointing a finger angrily at Roderich. "He's unbearable!"

"I'm unbearable? Oh that's fine talk coming from someone like you." Roderich shot back.

"Für wen zum Teufel hältst du dich eigentlich ?" Gilbert hissed. (Who the hell do you think you are?)

"Would you two knock it off?" Yao snapped. "You're incredibly obnoxious."

"Who asked you?" Gilbert yelled at him. "This isn't your conversation so shove off and shut up."

"Why don't you?" Elizaveta seethed. "You're not doing anything but causing trouble. Besides it's as much his business as yours. We're a team here. We all have to know what's going on. Don't you get that?"

"Sure but none of you are making it easy!"

"Hey neither are you!" Soren argued. "You haven't done anything but argue with him the whole time."

"You haven't been doing much either though have you?" Arthur felt his blood chill at the hauntingly familiar heavily accented voice. It was probably only the second time he'd heard the Russian speak and he already didn't want to hear him any more.

"All you two over there have done is follow that idiot American around. At least fighting is more productive then doing nothing."

Arthur's chest swelled with gratitude, surprising him. So he wasn't the only one who couldn't stand Alfred Jones. Although he was sure the other boy didn't particularly like Arthur either. Didn't seem like he really liked anyone.

"There isn't anything productive about fighting!" The American yelled. "I of all people should know that by now."

"Then why don't you practice what you preach?" Romano snapped. "I'm not going to listen to someone like you!"

"I don't think you'd even listen to yourself Romano." Antonio muttered loudly.

"Shut up who asked you!"

"Hey this was our problem everyone else butt out!"

"It's not just your problem Gilbert."

"If you think fighting is so productive why don't you fight me?"

"Your pathetically weak that's why."

"Leave him alone Ivan. There's truth in what he said."

"Bastard!"

"I wish you would stop that. Seriously you swear way to much."

"Ve Romano cut it out!"

"Can you guys maybe stop fighting? Please?"

"Don't bother Tino they're all idiots."

"Who are you calling an idiot you pint sized punk?"

"You obviously."

Arthur's ears roared with noise. Nearly everyone was yelling, the vibrations bouncing wildly around the small room and engulfing it with sound. God shut up! He hissed inwardly. Enough was enough his ear drums were going to break at this rate. But as he opened his mouth to call for silence, another voice beat him out.

"Shut up all of you! NOW!"

The silence was instantaneous, like an unheard bomb exploding in the room. The speaker, Ludwig, had stepped out from his corner, hands slammed against a small table.

"This is neither the time nor the place for this idiocy." He snapped. His voice was edgy, slicing through the tension thick air as if it were nothing. "If you must fight do it else where! This is ridiculous. You all are acting like children. Grow up. This woman is here for us, she makes a simple request and you turn it into an argument! She wants you upstairs in your rooms. So get up there now! And the first person who argues is going to have their head taken off is that clear?"

Arthur watched nervous expressions flit around the room. The German had been relatively quiet since the beginning. He never would have guessed he ha that sort of temper.

"Brother why are you dragging me-"

"You too Gilbert." He cut in. "Get going."

Arthur watched as Gilbert pushed past Roderich begrudgingly, throwing the other a sour look. "You heard my brother." Gilbert muttered. "He's right. Let's go."

Antonio nodded, pushing himself off the couch and slipping next to Gilbert as the other walked past he and Francis and started up the stairs. Slowly, the others followed suit. Roderich followed them, Elizaveta behind him and Kiku and Yao side by side just behind her. Berwald, with a flustered looking Tino in tow, came next, Lukas stepping slowly behind them. Romano was muttering viciously under his breath as his brother tugged him past them. Matthew and Soren followed although not to his particular surprise, without Alfred. Ivan, still standing in the kitchen, was staring coolly at Ludwig, violet eye's sharp with annoyance. For a moment, Arthur thought maybe he would start arguing. Instead, he threw the German an off smile and pulling his long scarf closer over his mouth, turned and walked quickly up the stairs.

"Arthur we better go too." Francis murmured. He narrowed his eyes, flicking them to the Americans still standing form. What was he waiting around for? "Arthur!" Francis worried voice broke through his inner inquiries, and he nodded. None of his business. I just hope Ludwig beats him up or something. He thought, a wry smile tugging at his lips. With a final glance back at the two, he followed Francis up the stairs and pushed the stupid American and his problems to the back of his mind.

O ~ O ~ O

He'd been lying on his bed for probably about ten minutes when he heard the handle click in the tell tale warning that someone else was coming in. He rolled over on his side so that he was facing the wall, nose still buried in the book he was reading. He didn't want to see that bloody American's face, and he silently begged that the idiot would also keep his mouth shut. Thankfully, it seemed he would. Footsteps filled the room as the door clicked shut again and he heard the squeak of bedsprings on the other side of the room, but no voice. At least for a moment.

"That seamstress lady is coming up to our room first, cause we're at the far end." Alfred announced suddenly. "She's still talking to Ludwig though so..." He trailed off.

Arthur scrunched his nose in displeasure, shoving his book under his pillow and sitting up in bed. "Didn't I tell you not to talk to me unless it's necessary?" He snapped.

"I'd say that's pretty damn necessary. I was relaying information." Alfred retorted.

"It's not necessary to know that we're going first." Arthur muttered, keeping his face toward the wall.

"Whatever." Alfred replied.

He tossed the other boy a glance over his shoulder. What had happened down there? He wondered. Alfred didn't look upset, more like he was mulling over something then anything else. He was playing with his blue t-shirt, tugging at the ends and running his thumb repeatedly over the seams visibly lost in thought, although Arthur could still feel the prickling tension that clung to him, obviously uncomfortable about being in the room with him (not that Arthur felt any better about it).

A sudden knock on the door seemed to shake Alfred from his stupor, and his head snapped upward eyes wide in surprise.

"Coming just a sec." He called. He made it to the door in a few large strides; yanking the handle and pulling it open quickly.

"I didn't expect you to be so fast." He greeted, stepping aside to reveal the short older woman from before. "Thanks for doing us first."

"Oh it's no problem dear." She laughed. "I was just surprised. People rarely ask to be measured first."

He asked to go first? Arthur thought incredulously.

"I figured if we went first, we would get to leave our room sooner." He responded.

Arthur's eyes stretched in surprise. That was brilliant. That meant less time waiting around in their room, and more specifically, less time they had to spend together. Bastard really was clever. Why hadn't he thought of that?

"Well that's true I suppose." She chuckled. "Alright then. Arthur dear, would you come over here too? I'd like to get your measurements at the same time if you don't mind. It'll go faster that way. Just stand next to Alfred."

He nodded slowly, sliding himself rigidly off the bed. "Not to sound rude but just how close do I 'just have to stand' next to him?"

"As close as I need you to. Besides the both of you are going to have to help me take measurements for the other."

"Wait WHAT?" They cried in unison.

"Come now it's not so bad." She tsked. "You're both boys at least. I don't know what I'm going to do about Elizaveta's fitting."

"That's not the point." Alfred interjected. "I don't want him touching me! I don't even want him within 3 feet of me!"

"Same to you!" Arthur growled, crossing his arms. "Can't we just go one at a time?"

"You could, but it would take longer and you're still going to have to help me measure the other." She replied.

"Fine." Alfred muttered crossly. Arthur watched his shoulders visibly relax, and to his surprise, the boy let out a tired sigh. "Fine." He said, more softly this time. "If it will really help you take our measurements I'll help. Just tell me what to do alright?"

She nodded. "Thank you. It will be quite helpful." She looked expectantly to Arthur who was still standing by, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"Ah yea right I'll help too. Just as long as it's quick." He replied sourly. Damn this sucks. He thought, tugging at his right ear stud. He'd popped them back in just before he and Francis had departed from the car and suddenly he was glad. Twisting them calmed him down if only the slightest.

"Alright. Why don't we start with Alfred?" she smiled, handing Arthur a tape measure. "Can I ask you to measure his chest? I'll do his legs while your doing that. It will make it go much faster."

Arthur bit his lip fiercely, avoiding eye contact with the taller blonde. Damn this really did suck. Maybe he could make use of this though. Pull the tape measure to tight by accident, or give her the wrong measurements. He chuckled inwardly at the thought of that idiot American practically drowning in his clothes. Then again Alfred could easily do the same to him. And that would be humiliating.

"Yea I can do that much." He muttered. Arthur stepped slowly toward the other boys towering figure, trying to ignore the uncomfortable vibes between them. He would just get it over with fast. And then kick a door down or something.

"Good. Thank you." She replied gratefully. He watched the older woman bend down and stretch the flimsy tape measure the length of his leg. Guess there was no stopping now. Keeping his head down, he reached the hand with the tape measure out until it knocked against Alfred's chest. He felt the other boy tense rigidly, and Arthur wasn't feeling to great himself.

"Arthur dear you have to reach around him and pull both sides to you. That way you don't have to walk around him holding the tape measure." She advised, still busily taking his leg measurements. Damn it lady you're just trying to make this difficult aren't you? He swore internally. Pulling his hand away from the others chest, he slowly slipped it past his arm on one side. Don't look at him or you'll punch him. Don't look at him or you'll punch him. He grit his teeth when he felt his skin brush against the other's shirt, and resisted the urge to yank his hand back in disgust.

"Hey idiot lift your arms up." He grumbled, still refusing to meet the other boy's eyes.

Slowly, he felt the appendages that were sandwiching his own arm between the others body raise until he couldn't feel them any more.

"Good dear." The woman praised, now working on Alfred's other leg. " Just reach both arms around and pull the tape measure to the other side so it's comfortable around his chest."

He cursed inwardly, an uncomfortable prickling shooting through his blood as he slid his other arms around the boys side. He heard Alfred hiss in annoyance, and was sure he'd see the other grimacing should he look up. He didn't of course. It was an uncomfortable feeling, like he was on the boarder of hugging him, which was enough to make Arthurs stomach nauseated. He clasped the end of the tape measure with his other hand, and as quickly as he could, yanked it around the others side, coming dangerously close to brushing his side as he did. Almost done. He thought gratefully, pulling the two ends together across Alfred's chest. Just read the measurement. He frowned, eyes focusing on the number on the yellow tape. Damn it he really was like an idiot rugby player. His chest was a lot broader then Arthur would have guessed.

"Are you done yet?"

Arthur practically jumped in surprise at the American's voice, and flicked his eyes upward at him. His eyes, when they were pointed straight, landed just above his chin so it took a little to see his face without moving his head. Arthur felt his blood surge with defiance and he threw Alfred a sly smirk.

"Hm. Maybe I'll take my time."

"Like hell you will." Alfred snarled.

"Boys no fighting." The seamstress sighed, standing up next to them. "You can take the tape measure off and give me his measurements."

Arthur nodded, suddenly more then willing to get away from the other boy, and slid the tape measure out from around him letting it drop to the floor. He watched the other boy's chest heave as he let out a sigh, and for a moment, Arthur wondered if perhaps his chest had been tense the entire time. Now that would be bad. If his chest had been expanded like that while he was measuring, the measurement would be wrong. Oh well.

"Here you go." he said, writing it down on the clipboard she held in her hands.

"Thank you. You did well." She smiled warmly. Arthur felt blood rise to his cheeks, and let out a mumbled "it was nothing." He wasn't used to adults praising him much. Which he always found particularly odd to be frank. Weren't adults supposed to be super nice to the kids without families? Or is that just the cute innocent looking ones. He sighed inwardly. It wasn't like he ever got in that much trouble or anything. Well save for the incident that had gotten him suspended prior to his acceptance at the academy, but that hadn't even been his fault. And the teachers never hated him or anything particularly because his grades were good. They just kind of ignored him. Like most adults did.

"Alright dear it's your turn." The woman nodded to him.

Arthur felt his blood run cold, tension prickling under his skin. "Right now?"

"Yes. I'll do your legs again and Alfred can measure your chest... oh!" she cried suddenly. "I forgot about waist. Well we can go back and measure yours later Alfred all right? I'll take his arm and leg measurements because they're more troublesome. You can do his chest and his waist."

"No freaking way!" Arthur hissed.

"You're going to have to measure his too. You'll be equally uncomfortable. That sounds fair to me. Now here." She said, handing a bewildered looking Alfred the tape measure. "And let's do it quickly alrighty?" With that, she bent down and began wrapping the tape around his legs. He locked his eyes with Alfred's, resisting the unbearable urge to sock him in the jaw again. Daring him to do what he'd been asked to. Alfred's look was equally venomous, and just as challenging. But slowly, he stepped toward him and wrapped the tape around his chest just as Arthur had done.

"Ah shit," Alfred cursed suddenly as he dropped one of the ends, reaching down for it as it hung by Arthur's side. Arthur felt his breath hitch in his throat as Alfred's right hand pressed more firmly against his chest, in what Arthur could only guess was an attempt to keep the other end of the tape measure in place. He itched uncomfortably under Alfred's touch, inwardly cursing at him to pick the stupid thing up fast and take his hand away. It was making him think of boyfriends past, and things that were intolerable to be imagined in the same thought bubble as Alfred Jones. Finally, he managed to grab hold of it and Arthur felt his body relax as the Americans hand disappeared from his chest, taking the tape with him. With a short tug and inspection of the number, Alfred let go and pulled it from behind Arthurs back without a word.

"Good good. I'm going to do his arms, can you measure his waist now?"

"Whatever." Alfred muttered, plopping him self on to the ground in front of Arthur. He wasn't as quick the time to start getting the tape around, hesitating as if he was wondering weather he was actually going to do something like this. Bloody hell just get it over with, he snarled inwardly. And so against his better judgment, Arthur took the arm that the seamstress wasn't measuring, and entangled it roughly in Alfred's hair, yanking up on it. The action elicited a pained cry of surprise from the other boy, as his hands went atop his head to try to pry Arthurs own digits from his golden locks.

"Hurry the fuck up. I want this over as fast as you do, but sitting there won't get anything done." He hissed.

"Let go of me and I fucking will!" Alfred spat, tugging at Arthur's hands in his hair. Finally, Arthur relented and let his fingers relax, pulling his hand back to his side.

Alfred's hand was like a flash this time, wasting not a second to yank the tape measure around his waist and pull it roughly around the other side. Well at least he sped it up. Arthur grumbled inwardly. He bit back a yelp of surprise when his waist was suddenly yanked harshly forward. Bastard! Alfred was peering at the numbers on the tape, and as soon as it looked like he had them, completely let go of the tape measure letting it fall to the floor.

"There done." Alfred muttered, eyes glittering with menace.

"Good." she sighed, wiping her hands on her pastel pink shirt. "I'd ask Arthur to measure yours too, but if it's really going to make you that uncomfortable I'll measure his arms and waist myself. Arthur will you do me a favor and tell the room next door that they're up next?"

Arthur nodded vigorously, relief pooling in his gut. "I'd be happy too." He grinned, backing away. Without a second glance at Alfred, he spun on his heels and out the door, shutting him behind him with a dull slam.

"Thank god that's over." He breathed. Now he'd take his good sweet time, no use rushing back in there. He knocked on the door next to theirs, listening for movement.

"Yea what the fuck is it?"

Romano.

"The seamstress wanted me to tell you guys are next." He frowned. Now that he thought about it, they hadn't asked her for her name. That was completely impolite. I'll have to ask when I get back. He decided. For now, he was going to pay Francis a quick visit. But which room was his? It was on the other side that much he remembered. But he couldn't remember which door was open after Matthew burst out.

"Yea fine whatever."

"That's rude Romano."

"Da fuck do I care?"

Arthur shook his head, walking away from the door. He felt bad for Antonio. He seemed like he was an ok guy, if not a little to happy go lucky for Arthur's taste. It seemed like Romano was just trying to cause trouble. Just like a certain American idiot he knew.

"Now which one is Francis's room?" He muttered, pacing down the hall. Maybe it was the first door? Or had it been the second? He couldn't remember. "Guess I'll just have to open a door huh?" He sighed. Stopping in front of the first hardwood door, he reached out and gave the cool bronze handle a sharp tug and twist.

"I'm sorry but I'm not talking to you."

The Canadians voice floated instantly out the door as he yanked it open, revealing the two light haired blondes sitting on opposite ends of the room. Both turned in surprise upon his entry, eyes wide. Matthew's eye's flitted immediately away, fisting the sheets in his hands. Francis on the other hand, scowled at him and let out an annoyed sigh.

"What are you doing here Arthur?"

He shrugged, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. "I'm finished being measured and she sent me out to tell Antonio and Romano that they're next. I figured I might as well wonder."

"No you figured you'd get the chance to be away from Alfred." Francis rolled his eyes. Arthur shrugged, walking over to his bed and plopping down next to him.

"You would too if you were me." He grumbled. "Besides, I had the option I'm going to take it. That bloody twat. I can't take another minute of this."

"You'll live mon cher." Francis sighed.

"He's obnoxious and hard headed and a know it all and pretentious among other things. He those most horrible excuse for a person I've ever met and I-"

"Excuse me, but Alfred isn't any of those things." Matthew cut it suddenly.

Arthur blinked in surprise, startled as the shy Canadians intervention.

"Sure he's a little loud, and he can be a pain, but Alfred isn't a bad person. He's actually a really good person. A really really good person, at least once you get to know him. He's considerate and kind, he's really brave and isn't afraid to stand up for what he thinks. And despite his outward appearances he's actually incredibly smart. On top of that, he's my best friend, so I won't have you speaking badly of him." Matthew said sharply.

Arthur felt his mouth go numb, enabling him unable to speak. Had he heard correctly? That shy little boy who was always stuck to Alfred's side, was standing up for himself and his friend? To be honest, he hadn't really thought about how his words would affect the other boy. He hadn't counted on getting any sort of reaction, so he'd just spoken as he pleased. Next to him, Francis was staring at the small Canadian in a sort of awe struck manner, pale blue eyes wide at the other boy's outburst, and gleaming oddly.

"Ah! I'm really sorry." Matthew mumbled, entwining his fingers nervously. "That was rude and uncalled for and I guess it's not my place to tell Alfred not to fight if I'm going to do the same thing ahahahaaa... but um I know you hate Al. And it-it doesn't really matter why I suppose because after all he doesn't really like you either but um at least, at least if you're going to speak so badly of him don't do it in front of me. Alfred's very important to me, and it hurts to hear someone say such awful things about him."

Arthur and Francis tossed each other an unsure glance before turning back to Matthew.

"Well ah I'm sorry." He replied earnestly. "You're right, I do dislike him, but it's underhanded to speak badly of people behind their back and not becoming of a gentlemen as far from that as I might seem. So I'll honor your wish." He sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

Matthew's face lit up brightly, warm violet eyes sparking with happiness. "Thank you very much! It means a lot! Maybe at this rate, someday you and Alfred will be able to become friends too."

"Like hell we will." Arthur snapped. "I'm doing this because you're right and it's not like me to be so cowardly as to talk about other people like that as much as I may hate them. We're not going to get along. Not now not ever, you can be sure of that."

"Don't be so harsh Arthur." Francis cooed, shoving him lightly. "'Zat was very sweet of you to do Mathieu, sticking up for your friend like 'zat."

"I'm still not talking to you." Matthew muttered, crossing his arms. "I already told you I don't swing that way! I'm sorry! So leave me alone ok?"

"Wow you're fast." Arthur chuckled, shoving Francis back. "Just ignore him Matthew he's just messing with you I promise. He likes girls too so don't worry." Francis shot him an annoyed glare, but other wise just shook his head. Well I'm not lying. Arthur thought. He's bi so he does technically like girls too. Although in this case I'd say he's most definitely not just joking with him. Still, it's Francis. He's always been like this with both genders. If he see's someone he thinks is cute he won't leave them alone until they go out with him at least once, or beat him to a pulp first. More often then not it's the first option, and then he and the other person never even see each other again. He's just being him. Lucky for Matthew he's straight so beating to a pulp seems to be the most likely option here. Good thing or the poor kid might have gotten his heart broken. Arthur mused.

"Really?" Matthew blinked in surprise. Francis nodded reluctantly.

"Don't worry mon ami I'm only teasing you."

A relived smile slid onto Matthews's face, before his lips suddenly pulled into a frown and he shook his head at what Arthur could only guess was some internal thought. "Ah well thank you, I appreciate you saying that. Although aha I guess I'd appreciate it more if you'd stop..."

"Now what fun would that be?" Francis chuckled, eliciting a bright blush from Matthew and an incoherent string of protests. Arthur rolled his eyes. He wasn't giving up was he? "Arthur don't you have some where to be? Like back in your room?"

"Oh right. I should get back I suppose." He grumbled, standing. "See you Francis. And… Matthew. It was good to talk to you. You're certainly different then...Alfred." He scrunched his nose in disgust at the sour taste of that name on his tongue.

"Yea it was nice to talk to you too." Matthew responded pleasantly. "Um and ah I'm sorry about what Alfred did to your nose."

He shook his head, rubbing his bruised bridge. "It's ok. I got his jaw just as bad."

O ~ O ~ O

A/N: AAAAAAANNNDDDD END CHAPTER! XD Haah that was such an odd place to end it but oh well Xd Sorry that was so short and it's been so long since my last update I fail miserably lol. Also, I know this feels sort of dragged out (at least to me it does) but the first few days are going to be like that, at least until we get a clear sense of what's going on in the entirety of the group. Would you guys mind if i did other POV's besides Arthur and Alfred's? Do you want me to? I feel like it would make it easier to show what's going on in everyone's head but at the same time I know there are characters I just can't write for XD and I'm sorry, I fail at sexual tension lol. But at this point I don't really want there to be all to much since they both honest to goodness hate each other right now lol. And sorry for the swearing.. there was so much of it i didn't really like writing it lol. So there won't be that much in coming chapters.

Now if you must know (not that you asked XD) my favorite scene to write here was actually Matthew defending Alfred because I'll say it, I love the adorable brother/best friend relationship between these two, which is one of the reasons I hate it so much when people pair them together xD It ruins the brother love! The sweet innocent non pairing brother love! Anyway I had fun writing that and 'awwed' a couple times at it lol.

Haha and if anyone of you were like wtf at Romano's "Da fuck" that's in tribute to a good friend of mine who looks like italy XD Every times he swears he's says Da fuck instead of the fuck and it amuses me lol. Not the swearing I reprimand him for that but the da is funny somehow haha .

Thank you for your constant reviews and faves! :D I'll be off now... ^^

EDIT: Thank you to tintenstern for fixing my German... I think... I was a little confused weather you meant that the whole sentence, even the German you provided for me, was weird or just the original thing i typed in XD to be honest it looked a little odd to me too but I don't question what google translator gives me even if I know it's wrong. I won't make the other languages a regular appearance, they'll probably only show up once in a while when a character is really really mad (which hopefully won't happen to to often lol)


	8. Wet and Waking

**A/N**: Since a lot of you are asking for it I will gladly give you the couples listing for this series :D Couples listing:

AlfredxArthur(USUK), FrancisxMatthew(Franada), SorenxLucas(Dennor), BerwaldxTino(sufin), AntonioxRomano (Spamano), IvanxYao(rochu), HeraclesxKiku(Giripan), GilbertxElixaveta(Prunhun), LudwigxFeliciano (Gerita) HollandxBelgium, SwitzerlandxLiechtenstien, Hong KongxTaiwan... and I think that's it lol. If I realize I'm forgetting any pairings I'll put them at the top of the next chapter.

Yes it's very sad but more likely then not Roderich will not be paired with anyone. Mostly cause I can't think of anyone to pair him with because everyone he could potentially be with is taken. Oh also, Toris and Felix will be in the series, but there won't be any poliet.

Thank you thank you so much for your reviews/faves/ etc. :3 particularly the one from Torminator, because it amazes me that there are people who think my writing is that good… when it's so amateurish it makes me want to wack my head repeatedly against my keyboard XD

So THANK YOU! For all of your support, especially to those who review every chapter. I always wait to hear what you guy's are going to say ^^

Onward!

O ~ O ~ O

The night was a long one for Alfred Jones, one of the longest of his life if he had to guess. Well maybe besides that one night at sleep away camp. Before they'd gone to bed, the counselors had sat around the campfire telling the group ghost stories. That night, he'd stayed up curled under his covers the whole night armed with a slingshot, three flashlights and a really big rock, hyperventilating until the sun came up. Needless to say, his cabin mates weren't to pleased, and he was sent home the next day.

After the measuring was done, the rest of the day had dragged on arduously, and he spent every second of it avoiding Arthur. Fortunately, it hadn't been to difficult. He Soren and Matthew had gone back upstairs to explore the lounge room that Laura had informed them of, and it actually turned out to be pretty nice, despite it's lack of a T.V. The trio had spent the entire day up in the newly discovered lounge, chatting, DSing and on several occasions, throwing the navy blue pillows of the couch at each other.

A couple times some of the others had come up to check the place out, and hung out with them for a couple minutes before retreating to their rooms (more likely then not, without the person they were rooming with). Kiku and Yao had spent a good bit of time with them. Kiku had showed Alfred his stockpile of DS games, to which Alfred insisted that they play each other for a little while, that turned into over an hour. Elizaveta had come by once (seeing as her room was literally down the hall) and to Alfred's not so surprise, Soren immediately started up a conversation with her. Incredible. He even flirted with girls he didn't think were pretty. After a while, Kiku and Yao departed, claiming that a show they both liked was going to air on the internet soon, and not long after Elizaveta left to her room as well, going on about some book she just HAD to finish. The rest of the day went quietly. He'd snuck down to the kitchen once or twice to look for food, but both times Francis, Gilbert, Antonio and Arthur were sitting in the living room talking and Alfred hadn't been in any sort of mood to deal with Arthur again. Night fell and the three reluctantly said their good nights before retreating into their rooms, after they'd finally managed to locate the hidden bathrooms on the top floor anyway. And of course had a fight over them. Go figure.

He rolled over in his bed and buried his face in his pillow, pulling his sore arms and legs closer to him. Not only were the sheets uncomfortable, but the mattress was hard as a rock, and he ached from head to toe. If he had to wager a guess, he's probably slept about three hours total that night, maybe not even that much. He'd heard Arthur come into the room about ten minutes after he'd finally managed to settle into bed, and he definitely hadn't been quite about it. In fact, it sounded like the young Briton was actually trying to make a crapton of noise. But instead of getting out of the bed and hitting him like he wanted to, Alfred reluctantly grit his teeth and kept quite. He'd already taken his glasses off for the night, and there was no way he could last a second in a fight without them. Heck, he wasn't even sure he could get out of bed without them.

Still, that didn't mean Arthur couldn't do something to him. And with that thought in mind, he turned restlessly for hours on end, imagining what the other boy could, or would do to him if he for some reason woke up. He could dye his hair, or steal his stuff, or any manner of awful things. Thinking back on it, he realized how ridiculous his thoughts had been. Why would the other boy waste his time doing something like that when he could e sleeping?

Uttering a soft groan, he forced himself to onto his elbows and stared tiredly into the pillowcase. IT was going to be a long day. His fingers felt around under the pillow, running over the stiff sheets until they knocked into the case that held his glasses. Forcing himself to sit cross-legged on the bed, he rubbed his eyes of the sleep that had crusted on their corners and with a snap, opened the case and slid the spectacles onto his face. Much better. He cast his cobalt eyes to the other side of the room. Arthur was still sleeping peacefully in his bed, rolled on his back and sheets sprawled in a mess around him. He wore an oversized black t-shirt and a pair of red boxers that Alfred swore had a miniaturized union jack on the side of them.

Alfred slipped slowly out of bed, placing his feet gingerly against the cool wooden floors and wincing. Why was waking up so difficult? Finally fully out of bed, he stretched broadly and let out a loud yawn. Now came the real question. Weather he should wake Arthur up. He glanced over at the sleeping boy again. He didn't really want to chance that. Arthur might punch him unconsciously. Or consciously. Either way it would hurt, and his jaw was still healing from his previous beating. But just as he was about to take another step forward, Arthur stirred suddenly, sitting slowly up in his bed and blinking at him as if he were lost. Blonde hair disheveled in a mess around his head, his emerald green eyes were hazed with sleep and confusion. He furrowed his thick eyebrows, letting out a yawn and rubbing his hand through his hair casually, as if he had forgotten exactly whom it was standing in the room with him. His hand froze; tangled in his blonde locks and his eyes glinted with sudden realization. Now he remembered.

"Morning sleeping beauty." Alfred taunted. HE knew he shouldn't have, but he couldn't help it. Here was the person he disliked more then anyone in the world just waking up and confused, he just had to take advantage of it and bother him a little.

"Shut the bloody hell up." Arthur snapped, clenching the sheets in his hands. "Who gave you the right to say anything, you twat?"

"It's called freedom of speech."

"Yea well hate to break it to you but this isn't America." Arthur replied icily, shoving himself out of his bed. Alfred crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

"Obviously. My home is a thousand times better then this sorry excuse for a country. I can't believe you people actually controlled us at one point."

"Take that back" Arthur hissed.

"And what are you going to do if I don't?" Alfred questioned coolly. He watched as Arthur took a menacing step forward and open his mouth to rebuke him, but before even a single word could escape, the door opened loudly.

"Ve hey you two! Ludwig's calling a meeting downstairs, so he told me to go around and get everyone up and down to the kitchen!" Feliciano chirped brightly, stumbling over is green plaid pajama bottoms as they pooled around his feet.

Alfred cast a tense glance toward Arthur before turning back to Feliciano and nodding. "Thanks Feli. Erm I can call you that right?" Feliciano nodded enthusiastically and smiled.

"Of course!"

Cool. Hey do you know what time it is? I don't have my phone on..." He stiffened, suddenly remembering something important he had forgotten to do.

"Oh crap! I forgot to call my parents yesterday! They probably think I'm dead or something!" He fretted, dashing over to his bag and rooting through it frantically. Pulling his black mobile out, he flipped it open and groaned. Twenty-five fricking missed calls? His parents probably really did think he was dead! I'd better call them back right away, he reasoned. And then, suddenly something else hit him. Hadn't the chairman said something about no service on cell phones or something? "Shit!" He cursed, checking the bars just to make sure. There was nothing, just like he had told them.

Feliciano was staring at him oddly, while Arthur had turned completely away and was apparently fixated with the wall. I must look really weird huh? He laughed inwardly.

"Ahaa sorry bout that." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. " I just forgot to call my family." From the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw Arthur wince, but he brushed it off. "It's um..." He looked down at the phone, suddenly remembering his reason for needing one.

"What the hell it's 7:30 in the morning!" He cried. "The last time I woke up this early was when I was like, eight."

Arthur snorted and muttered something incoherent that Alfred chose to ignore as he turned his attention back to Feliciano. "Um so should we get dressed or..."

The peppy Italian shook his head. "Nope. Just come down as you are. Ah but I better keep going! Ludwig's going to get really mad if I take any more time! See you guys in a few!" He called, dashing off.

Glancing rigidly at Arthur, he sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair. "Well we better get going before Ludwig kicks our Asses. "

"I know that." Arthur replied indignantly, shoving past him. "Why don't you worry about yourself?"

"Who's worried about you?" Alfred muttered sourly under his breath. Fortunately, the Briton didn't seem to hear him, and Arthur turned out the door and out of sight. Alfred shook his head and turned back toward his bed, stepping casually toward the window and peering through the cloth. Still cloudy. Go figure. But at least it didn't appear to be raining any more, so maybe this storm was finally going to clear up.

"Ah Alfred-san good morning."

Alfred shot up with a start, turning in surprise at the familiar voice. "Kiku! Hey, morning. What are you doing on this floor? Did you come down to see Yao?"

Kiku shook his head, tugging nervously at his plain white t-shirt as if he was embarrassed. "No I'm helping Ludwig and Feliciano wake everybody up. I was just going to get Gilbert, it seems Feliciano had some trouble getting him up and he's still sleeping."

"Figures." Alfred yawned while rubbing his aching shoulder blades through his green nightshirt. "Are Matty and Soren already down there?"

"Yes, they're awake already. Almost everyone is now. However we're still missing Gilbert, Romano, Elizaveta, and Lukas. I believe I heard Feliciano trying to get Romano up in the room over, but as for the others I don't know. I assume Gilbert went back to sleep, and we weren't even able to get Lukas to stir the first time. As for Elizaveta..." He trailed off. "Um well she is a lady and we're a little worried about bursting in on her in a y-you know, state of u-undress." He mumbled, blushing profusely. "Actually it is a little uncomfortable, everyone running around in their pajamas. I suggested to Ludwig that we dress first but he seemed to think it was ok to be seen in such little clothing..."

Alfred blinked in confusion. "Well yea of course it's ok, I mean we're all guys here, well except for Elizabeta but you know..." He laughed. "People are pretty lax about the amount of clothing you're wearing the west. As long as you have some sort of pants on usually it's ok. Well I guess it does depend where you are but still...Is it different in Japan?"

Kiku nodded, shifting side to side on his feet. "Yes, in my country we're a little less open then western cultures. Ah not to say there's anything wrong with the way you do things!" he insisted. "It is just different. It will take some getting used to I think."

"You'll be fine." Alfred laughed, walking over and patting the small Japanese boy on the back. "Just don't let it get to you."

Kiku gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yes perhaps you are right. I think we should..."

"Brother come on!" Feliciano pleading voice echoed through the hall, cutting him off.

"Fuck no!"

Alfred and Kiku tossed each other a look and dashed out the door to check on the wailing Italian. Sounds like Feliciano really is trying to wake Romano up. Alfred thought as he rounded the corner of the door behind Kiku. The door directly to their right lay ajar, revealing near tears Feliciano and a woefully ticked off Romano. The darker haired Italian was spread out on the floor on his stomach in nothing but his boxers, fervently resisting his brother yanks and tugs on his arm toward the door.

"Roma please!" Feliciano begged. "Ludwig's going to be mad at me if I don't wake everyone up! I don't want him to be mad at me brother, he's scary!"

"If he get's mad at you I'll skin him." Romano snapped into the floorboard. "Now go away I want to go back to sleep!"

"Ve Come on you're already up! Besides Ludwig is bigger then you there's no way you'd beat him brother!"

"The hell did you say?" Romano yelled, yanking his arm out of his brother's grip. "I could wipe the floor with that potato bastard! Why are you picking him over me Feliciano, I'm your fricking brother!"

"Cause I don't want you to get hurt!" Feliciano sobbed falling to his knees and hugging the auburn haired boy tightly. Romano mumbled some sort of protest into Feliciano's abdomen and heaved out a sigh before sitting up on his knees and returning his brothers fierce hug.

"Fine. If I come downstairs will it make you happy? So I don't get hurt?"

Feliciano nodded into Romano's shoulder and muttered something incoherent that Romano was obviously able to make out.

"What do you mean 'mostly cause I don't wanna get hurt'?" Romano fumed, shoving his brother away from him. "Geeze I love you too!"

"Ve but it's true! I don't want either of us to get hurt! So Roma will you go downstairs?"

"Yea yea whatever." He bit out, pushing himself roughly to his feet. Alfred suddenly felt the urge to move out of the doorway at the fear of being bulldozed by the cranky Italian. Golden amber brown eyes locked with his own and filled suddenly with quiet alarm. That didn't stay so quiet.

"When the hell did you two get here?"

Feliciano, no longer in a sniffling heap on the floor, grinned brightly at them, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder as if to hold him back. "Ve Hey Kiku! Hey Alfred! Did you manage to wake Gilbert up yet?"

"To be honest we've been here watching you two the whole time." Alfred chuckled. "Good job getting him up Feli, that was quite a show. You two should be actors or something."

"Fuck you." Romano snarled. Feliciano shook his head, but released his hold on his brother's shoulder at the realization that he wasn't going to charge them.

"I guess we should probably get him up huh?" Alfred reasoned. "Hey Kiku why don't we let Feli deal with Lukas, and we'll take care of Gilbert?" He turned to find the small boy fidgeting awkwardly and staring down at the ground, cheeks flushed red.

"Dude what's wrong? You got a fever or something?" Alfred asked with genuine concern.

Kiku shook his head, eyes still staring pointedly at the floor. "A-h no It is just, um well R-Romano would you mind p-p-putting more clothes on? It's shameful to be walking around like that..."

"Huh?" Romano cut in loudly. "Sorry what was that? I couldn't hear you."

"I'm sorry please forget what I just said!" Kiku squeaked. With a quick bow, he spun on his heels and disappeared down the stairs.

"What's his problem?" Romano muttered, rubbing his bare chest. "I really couldn't here him. He should speak up more."

"I hope he'll be ok." Alfred sighed. "I'm worried you may have mentally scarred him Romano."

"Da hell did I do?"

"Well that aside." Alfred cut in, stopping Romano's tirade. "I guess since Kiku's gone AWOL I'll deal with Gilbert. That is if you two get Lukas. Actually Romano you should probably go downstairs and check up with everyone."

"Don't order me around." Romano huffed, storming past him. Alfred worried for a minute he was going to start arguing, but the chestnut haired brunette simply started down the stairs, muttering to himself as he went.

"Well that was exhausting." Alfred sighed once he was out of earshot. "Alright Feli you go that way and I'll see what I can do about Gilbert. Although to be honest I really think Ludwig should be dealing with his own brother..."

Feliciano nodded enthusiastically, giving him a playful salute. "Yes sir! I'm on it. Don't worry I'll get him up no matter what!" With a final nod, the flamboyant Italian took off down the hall in search of Lukas's room.

"Well here goes nothing." He muttered, grasping the door handle. Slowly he pushed the door open, and was revealed a scene that furthered his suspicion of the extreme difference in the two bunk mate's personalities. Roderich's side of the room was neat and tidy; bed made, clothes already put away and bag folded crisply next to his dresser. It looked exactly as Alfred's room had when he'd first seen it. Untouched and uninhabited. Gilberts side on the other hand, was already littered with clothes and junk. A soda can rested on the floor next to his bed; a stack of magazine spread out around it, and his sheets a tangled mess around him. The German in question was sleeping soundly, buried beneath the covers and snoring loudly. "I'm digging my own grave aren't I?" He groaned miserably. Shaking his head, he stepped hesitantly toward the silver haired albino's bed wondering just how he was going to go about waking him up.

"Gilbert you gotta get up." He mumbled half heartedly, shaking him gently. "Come on you're brother's going to grind my bones to make his bread or something like that if we don't get you up."

Gilbert groaned into his pillow swinging his hand at Alfred dismissively. "Fugoff." He mumbled drowsily.

"Seriously Gilbert you're gonna be the last one up. Get out of bed." Alfred told him, more firmly this time. "Come on!" The German only turned away and buried himself deeper under his covers.

"Guess I've got no choice. As a hero, it is my duty to accomplish my mission by any means possible!" He proclaimed. He winced inwardly at the thought of what she as going to do to him if she found out what he'd done. Elizaveta would probably kick his ass. I'm really sorry! He thought, hoping his thoughts would reach her some how. I'll make up for it I promise!

"Hey Gilbert." He said casually. "I actually lied to you. You're not the last one still sleeping. Actually the last one still in bed is Elizaveta." Gilbert shifted slightly under the sheets, turning a little back towards him. "But no one wants to go in to wake her up, and we just can't think of anyway to get her out of bed. At this rate she'll never wake up! She'll sleep all day, peacefully while the rest of us are up 7:30 in the morning and working our butts off. It just doesn't seem fair huh?"

"Damn right it's not!" Gilbert yelled suddenly, springing up from bed. "Alright I'll get up but only if I get to help you wake her!"

"Sure whatever you want." Alfred replied, forcing a half smile on to his face. Oh great.

"Sweet!" Gilbert cried. "I'm gonna go get a bucket! Do you know where the hell those are? Ahh screw it." He said, snatching up the empty coke can off the floor. "This will work just as good. Plus the water might be sticky."

Alfred was overcome with an overwhelming sense of dread at the realization of what the German boy was planning to do. "Um are you sure that's such a good-"

"See ya! Her rooms top floor right? Man this is gonna be sick!" He laughed, ignoring Alfred's protests. Before Alfred could get another word in, he was out the door and dashing down the hall.

"Crap! She's going to kill him! Or me! Ahhhhh and I don't want her to get all wet either, that's not very hero like at all putting the lady in danger! Shit!" He swore, sprinting out the door after him. Maybe I can convince him otherwise somehow? He's probably still filling the can right now; I should be able to catch him! Damn it I really should listen more when Matty tells me to think before I speak! He dashed down the flight of stairs that led to their hall and on to the middle platform that connected to the other one, spinning himself around the corner and pelting up the longer stair well. All right almost there! I'm totally going to make it! He thought, relief pooling in his gut. That was until he heard an ear-piercing shriek.

Oh shit.

"You bastard! You narcissist! You... you... YOU!" Crash. That did not sound good, he reasoned. Shaking himself from his stupor he pushed himself up the remaining stairs and rounded the corner, tripping over his feet as he went an catching the wall to steady him self. What in god's name had happened? Where were they?

"Fuck!" The voice was Gilbert's, resonating from inside Elizaveta's room. He didn't even make it out of the room before she pummeled him did he. Alfred thought wearily, jogging toward the room.

"Gilbert! Gilbert hey guys what's going on? Are you two o-" He stopped short as he stepped in front of the open doorway and stared into the room.

"Don't just stand there you moron." Gilbert snarled, tugging at his hand viciously. "Shit I can't get my hand out!"

"Oh like that's my fault!" Elizaveta hissed, shoving him as best she could. "Alfred could you lend us a hand here?" She asked, turning her attention to him.

He couldn't help it. He knew he shouldn't, this wasn't good at all. They would probably rip each other to shreds later and more fighting was exactly what they didn't need. But in spite of himself, he allowed the corners of his mouth to twitch slowly upward and let out the smallest snort of amusement. Which turned into a chuckle. And then a giggle, and soon he was leaning against the doorframe with one arm, clutching his sore stomach with the other in absolute hysterics.

"I... can't," giggle, "believe... you ...two," snort, "got... stuck... like... that!" he howled, doubling over in laughter. "That's like something out of a book! Oh my god hold on I'm going to get a picture of this!"

"You bastard this is not a laughing matter! Get me the fuck out of this!" Gilbert spat viciously.

"I know I know!" Alfred gasped, desperately trying to bite back his laughter. "It's just... to funny!"

"Alfred! Please!" Elizaveta pleaded.

"Sorry sorry!" He laughed, pushing his glasses up and rubbing the tears from his eyes. "I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have laughed-"

"And just what's so amusing?" A voice cut in. Alfred's amusement suddenly vanished, swept away by the icy chill of the all to familiar voice.

"Nothing, nothing." He muttered, trying desperately not to snap at the other boy. "There was just... and incident. I've got it handled."

"Clearly." Arthur snorted, walking down the hall towards him. "We heard yelling and a crash from downstairs."

"So the sent you?" Alfred snorted. "Oh yea big help you'll be."

"Because you're clearly doing so much."

"If you're so helpful," He ground out, "Why don't you help them instead of standing here arguing with me?"

Arthur's eyes flashed dangerously, but the other boy turned away and into the room to aid the struggling pair.

"So, what exactly happened here?" Alfred asked, stepping up beside them and dropping to his knees to aid Arthur in untangling them.

"I was sleeping! And then all of a sudden I feel all cold and wet and I wake up to see this idiot pouring water on me! So I..."

"So she tried to stand up on her bed, but she was so damn tangled in her sheets that she sort of stumbled as she stood and she grabbed the curtain rod for support and brought the whole thing down." Prussia cut in hotly. " And then this and that happened and some how we're tangled in her sheets and this damn curtain! And I can't fucking get out!"

"It's your fault!" Elizaveta snapped. "If you hadn't poured water on my head and woken me up we wouldn't be in this mess now would we?"

"And if you hadn't freaked out we wouldn't be in this mess either!"

"And if you-"

"Quiet!" Arthur intervened sharply. "Elizaveta move your right arm a little so I can pull the sheet

Out from around it. Gilbert you push yourself off the ground a little so we can get the curtain to loosen a little. And you," He snapped, turning his attention to Alfred. "Don't just sit there being useless! Give me a hand you git."

Alfred bit back an indignant retort, and realized he was right. He was majorly failing in his hero duties lately.

"Watch your arm there."

"Can you roll a little that way?"

"Nice we got the rod out!"

"Can you pull your leg out now?"

"Just pull your hand out from there."

"There you go, can you slip out now?"

"Alright I think it's loose enough for you to pull it off. Watch your head."

Finally, after several minutes of untangling and pulling, the two hostages were free, breaking from their linen chains and retreating to opposite ends of the room as if they'd been stuck together for days.

"Elizaveta you ok?" Alfred asked, approaching the shorthaired girl and placing a hand on her shoulder. She nodded, smiling gently at him.

"Yea I'm ok. I'm sorry you both had to help. Net time I'll deal wit it myself. I just didn't know I was so tangled..."

"Hey I'm always here to help." He grinned. "That's what hero's are for, right?"

She blinked oddly at him before breaking out into a light laugh. "You're right. Thank you for your help Alfred. And you too Arthur." She said, turning over to the green-eyed boy.

"Whatever." Gilbert muttered, storming out of the room. She shook her head, tugging her hair out of its short ponytail as she did so.

"He's ridiculous. Completely impossible. I don't think I'll ever get along with him."

"I know the feeling." He and Arthur answered in unison. They shot each other a glare but quickly diverted their yes elsewhere. Elizaveta laughed suddenly, surprising Alfred.

"Hey what's so funny?" He asked curiously.

"You two." She giggled.

"I fail to see what is amusing about loathing someone..." Arthur drawled out, irritation present in his tone.

"No no it's not that. It's just..." she laughed again, covering her mouth as if to suppress it. "Never mind forget I said anything." She said, still giggling.

What the heck is she going on about? Alfred wondered worriedly. What was so funny? Was he missing some kind of joke? "Um anyway, I'm sorry about Gilbert." Alfred muttered. "Um but actually you did have to wake up. Ludwig's...calling a meeting! Crap!" He swore. "He's probably fuming! Come on let's go!" He cried, tugging at the gray t-shirt she was wearing.

"Wait Ludwig's called a meeting?" She squeaked from behind him. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"We did! That's what Gilbert was supposed to be doing."

"Well couldn't you have sent someone else up?"

"Sorry! I couldn't think of any other way to wake you, and no one wanted to go in to get you up because you know you're a girl and we weren't sure about what you wore to bed."

"Wait YOU sent him to wake me up?"

"Um, yes?"

"Alfred!"

"It had to be done." He reasoned, still pulling her along. "I figured he'd be so intent on waking you up that he wouldn't notice or care if you were half na-"

He flinched at the sudden force against the back of his skull, letting out a yelp of surprise that cut him off mid sentence. "Owwww Elizaveta that huurt!" He whined, turning to face her and rubbing the back of his head sourly.

"That's what you get." She muttered, sticking out her tongue.

"If you two are finished." Arthur said suddenly from behind them. "Let's GO."

O ~ O ~ O

Well Ludwig was annoyed, but not furious thanks to Gilbert's surprising intervention and explanation of the situation. Feliciano had somehow managed to get Lukas out of bed (although weather he was actually awake was still debatable) and at eight in the morning, the entire 18-person house had been gathered downstairs in the living room for some sort of meeting. What exactly they were discussing, none of them had any idea.

"I have called you all here this morning, because there are matters that must be addressed immediately for anything to work around here." Ludwig began. "To begin with is the issue of food. We're going to need people to cook, as well as go get food whenever we're running low. We're also going to need to start designing and building our emblem, because we're running out of time."

"Sure but who's going to want to cook?" Siren asked. "On top of that, building something takes a certain amount of skill, particularly if it might be something intricate. How are we going to manage that? And in what, a day?"

"What if everyone takes turns cooking?" Tino suggested. "That way it's fair."

"That won't work." Francis cut in. "One person cooking for all of us? Besides I'm sure there are at least some of us here who can't even make toast."

"Well then how do we decide who does the cooking?" Yao inquired.

"Well who here thinks their good at cooking?" Ludwig asked. More then several hands shot up in the air. In fact, it looked as if the whole room thought they were excellent cooks.

"You can't cook. Trust me I've tasted that crap you call food it's disgusting." Francis jaded, turning to Arthur.

"Oh and I'm sure snails are sooo much better." Arthur spat back.

"Oh like you know how to cook." Gilbert hissed at Roderich.

"I'm Austrian. We can do everything well."

Soon, the whole room was a mess of arguing and shouting. It didn't really surprise him to be honest. Forgetting the fact that a good lot of them butted heads anyway, they all originated from such different cultures that what he thought tasted amazing might not be so great in someone else's mouth. Though he couldn't fathom anyone thinking hamburgers were disgusting. They all had such different likes and dislikes; they were going to have to find a medium somehow. Gathering up his breath, he stood from his seat and laid his hands flat against the tale. Any one else would have thought he was just being forceful. In reality, he didn't want to fall over.

"Guys!" He yelled out over the bickering, clenching his fingers in a ball on the wood. The room didn't grow quiet immediately like it had with Ludwig, but after a moment, the yelling died down, and all eyes were fixed on him.

"Ok look. Let's go with the idea that all of you are incredible cooks. That still doesn't change the fact that we're all going to want to eat different things. We need to find a medium. A style of cooking that all of us will eat, as well as someone who can cook all different kinds of food. I think four is enough people to do the cooking, and it will give us a broad range of food without delving to far into things that some of us might not like, as well as offering more selection."

"That's all well and good." Ludwig spoke up, "But then which of us will cook? How do we decide that?"

He swallowed hard, taking a deep breath in and closing his eyes. "I'll pick."

"What!" Arthur cried furiously. "Who gave you the right to decide things like that? You're not our leader!"

"You're right." He agreed, willing himself not bit his own tongue off for saying it. "I don't have any right to decide. But how else will we? The longer we sit around here arguing about it, the less get's done. And I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starving, and I don't plan on going more then a day without food." He was met with a murmur of agreement throughout, all except Arthur who was still glaring defiantly at him. Still, even the bushy eyed brit offered no words of protest.

"Alright then." He nodded. "Can I see a show of hands again?" Slowly, a few hands slid up into the air, although not nearly as many as before. He glanced over the crowd at those with arms still raised.

"Ok. So I've decided on four of you. No complaining if you don't get picked." He called. "Antonio, Feliciano, Yao, and Francis you four will be in charge of cooking."

"What about me?" Romano protested. "I'm just as good a cook as my brother!"

"I believe you Romano." He began, choosing his words cautiously. "But remember we still need someone to get the food, and I can't think of anyone better to do it then you."

"Oh yea and why's that?" He grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Because you're a good cook." He laughed. "And good cooks know good ingredients and how to make good food. Those four are going to need good stuff to work with and someone who knows what will be going into the foods they're making without having to tell them."

Cheeks tinged scarlet, Romano let out a hesitant nod and sunk back into his chair. "Yea, alright I'll do it." Score! Alfred cheered inwardly, grinning broadly on the outside at the chestnut haired Italian.

"Perfect. Now we just need someone to work on the emblem. Also, I think it would be a good idea to walk around outside and take a look at the other cabins and how they designed theirs. Of course we need a name to but that can come with it. And we're going to need material to build the thing out of. Any ideas?"

"Wood wo'ul b' gr'at." Berwald offered. "T'ere's pl'nty of it ar'nd h're. Of co'rse we're miss'ng tool's to b'ild with but I'm s're we can man'ge."

"Good idea." Alfred agreed. "We're going to need some people to go gather that. But first we should probably assemble a team to check out the other cabins. Of course the person who's drawing the design would go with that group so we need to decide that first." He snapped his fingers suddenly, an idea springing to his head. "Hey Kiku why don't you draw it?"

"M-m-me?" HE stammered, eyes growing wide. "But I don't think-"

"Come on please?" He begged. "Those drawings you showed us yesterday in your sketchbook were amazing! I can't think of anyone better for the job."

"They really were great." Soren piped up.

"Yea you should draw it!" Matthew insisted. "Your artwork is beautiful."

"I agree." Elizaveta put in. "I think you'd do wonderfully Kiku."

"It seems we've reached an agreement." Ludwig mused. "Kiku will you draw the emblem for us?"

Slowly, the sky Japanese boy nodded, fiddling nervously with his hands. "Yes of course if you all want me too I will. I'm very sorry if I can't meet any of your expectations!"

"You'll be fine. And I'll help you in any way I can." Alfred turned with a start toward Arthur, wondering if he'd heard him correctly. Since when were Arthur and Kiku friends? Kiku smiled pleasantly at Arthur, relief pooling in his eyes.

"Thank you very much for your support. All of you," He breathed. Alfred held back a frown. He said everyone, but why was he only looking at Arthur?

"Anyway, now that that's sorted out." He started, pushing all thought to the back of his mind. "We would split into groups. Francis, Antonio, Yao, Feli and Romano, you all should probably start planning out meals for the week. And umm if you don't mind..." He clutched his growling stomach in embarrassment. "Can you guys figure out what there is to eat for breakfast?"

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:**Horray for odd cut off's! *is shot* Sorry this took so long... again... XP It's been as usual a busy week, especially since school is coming to a close. Once it's summer vacation I should be able to get chapters out much more quickly lol. I can't believe the amount of reviews I've gotten! Seriously you people are amazing and I will never be able to stress it enough how important your reviews are to me ^^


	9. Hating and Heroes

**A/N: **I got it finished! *dances* My procrastination aside, this was an interesting chapter to write, but I hope you guys like it anyway XD Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter! My A/N is going to be cut short for today (lucky you guys lol) oh but one more thing.

**Haru-shira-kun:**

**a) **I plan on making the story pretty drawn out, so as far as getting together and such, not for a long while yet XD ( I tend to like more drawn out stories better then the ones where they just start dating right away lol) As the story goes on, you'll all definitely start to notice the changes in their relationship but nothing for a while (although I hope you enjoy the bits I put into this chapter ^^)

**b)** And as I mentioned in a, probably a very long while XP I haven't actually addressed this before, so I'm glad you brought it up. As far as my mind can fathom, this is going to be a very very VERY long fic (most of which I pray turns out to be better then just non-sensical drabble XD

OH! and one more thing! To the people who have offered to beta/ help me with my horrid dealings with language thank you very much! I've been considering getting a beta for a while now, but I'm always so late with my chapters that I would feel bad for anyone beta-ing my stories XD Still, I am considering it so if I decide to and you're interested please go ahead and ask ^^ As for my language I'll take ANYONE'S help with that XD

Btw if you haven't noticed this little guy: XD is my absolute favorite emoticon (so i hope i don't XD anyone to oblivion with my over use of it lol)

Wow... so much for a short Authors note... Oh well!

Onward!

O ~ O ~ O

Twenty loud minutes later, four groups had been formed. The cooks, Yao, Francis, Antonio, Feliciano and Romano, were settled around the kitchen island jotting down recipes, ingredients, and rooting through the food that was already in the house. The second team, consisting of Berwald, Ivan, Gilbert and Ludwig, was to go and gather whatever they could find to build the house emblem. The third team, which held Tino, Matthew Roderich, and Elizaveta were working on scheduling and chore assignments (it had been shortly after Alfred's proclamation of hunger that Ludwig had suggested they put together a schedule as well as a chore list to keep the cabin looking at least somewhat decent). The final group, much to Arthur's dismay, consisted of himself, Soren, Lukas, Kiku, and of course, Alfred. Leave it to Ludwig to assign a team like that.

And so, after running quickly up stairs to dress, all four teams assembled and began their work. Well, all except for theirs. They'd been standing for at least five minutes in front of the cabin, arguing about which way to go.

"We should go back to the cabins along the path we came up here. That way it will be easy to get back." Arthur snapped.

"No way. Let's go behind our cabin and see what's on the other side of the hill." Alfred argued.

"We don't even know if there's a path back there!"

"Well no better time to find out." Alfred spat defiantly. Shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his blue sweatshirt, the cerulean-eyed American stormed off in the other direction, leaves crunching loudly beneath his sneakered feet.

"Al wait up!" Soren called out, jogging to catch up to his friend. Alfred slowed momentarily to let the Dane fall in step with him, and then continued forward and around the side of the cabin without even a final glance behind him.

"That twat," Arthur hissed menacingly. "I swear of all the idiot's in this world he is by far the worst! He should go find his bike and ride it."

"Arthur-san." Kiku mumbled beside him. "I think Alfred is just being Alfred. We might as well go along with them, since they're already started in that direction right? Ah but um what do you think Lukas-san?" He asked, turning his attention to the ever-silent boy. Cobalt eyes snapped upward, hidden ever so slightly behind iridescent blonde bangs.

"Don't care really." He replied nonchalantly. It struck Arthur suddenly, that he had never really heard the quiet blonde speak before. It was odd, because although in many ways his silence resembled Matthew's own reluctance to speak, it didn't seem as if this one chose not to speak out of shyness but rather, out of spite. His voice was smooth like velveteen, words slipping effortlessly from his mouth like water pouring from a cup. For someone who didn't speak often, he sure had a way about it.

"I would say we should go the other way, just to bother them, but then the work we were assigned wouldn't get done and that would be a waste of both time and effort." Lukas drawled out, tugging on a stray piece of hair that curled off the side of his head.

"So then we're following them." Arthur sighed, running his hand through the back of his hair.

"Guess so." Lukas shrugged, pulling his indigo jacket tighter around him and starting forward. Arthur frowned in displeasure, but reluctantly stepped forward through the damp leaves and followed the little blonde around the house to where Alfred and Soren had just disappeared. It was infuriating, how easily it seemed that that American idiot could get people to do as he pleased. All he had to do was open his mouth and everybody listened to him.

It was odd, really. But he looked so natural standing up in front of everyone, like he was meant to be there. In fact he looked, dare he say it, somewhat attractive. The way his eye's seemed to go midnight blue, and glowed with authority; voice crisp and assertive, words so self assured that they rolled easily off his tongue. Everything about him seemed to brighten, from the warm, tan tone of his skin, to the rich golden hue of his hair. It was like he was a different person. No longer the obnoxious, hardheaded brat that he had to deal with, but a bright, intelligent leader. And it pissed him off. Because deep inside, he was jealous of Alfred. Jealous that this boy whom he hated so much, had the ability to do just what he had been dreaming of being able to do for four long years. To change himself.

"Arthur-san?" Arthur blinked in surprise, shaking his head to knock himself from his stupor.

"Sorry Kiku, what did you say?"

"Um you stopped walking. We hadn't realized so the others sent me back to get you. Alfred Soren-san and Lukas-san are behind the house waiting for us." Kiku smiled gently.

"Oh!" He cried, looking around him to find that he had indeed, stopped moving. "I didn't even realize, I'm sorry. I was... thinking."

Kiku laughed, tugging at the top of his plaid red scarf and tilting his head. "You must have been thinking about something very important, for you to just stop like that."

Arthur's face burned red and he shook his head violently. "No I wasn't thinking of anything important at all. Trust me, it was a far cry from that," He muttered, stepping brusquely past the Asian boy.

"Ah Arthur-san wait up!" Kiku called, rushing to catch up to him. "I didn't mean to upset you I just thought... um well never mind."

"It's alright you didn't upset me." He sighed, slowing to let the smaller boy match his pace. "And Kiku you don't have to call me that. You know, the san thing I mean. You..." He trailed off, casting the Japanese boy a curious look. "You don't address HIM with that -san ending do you?"

Kiku blinked slowly, as if thinking about whom Arthur could possibly be talking about. "Oh you mean Alfred?" He inquired. "Um well no, but that is because he asked that I refrain from adding the honorific. Does it bother you as well?"

"No no it doesn't bother me." Arthur insisted, waving his hands in front of him in protest. "It's just, it is quite formal isn't it? And I thought you know, since we're team mates and all, well it's not really necessary don't you think?"

He paused, as if thinking it over, and suddenly turned to Arthur, giving him a wide smile. "I hadn't thought of that! Thank you Arthur-s... I mean Arthur." He nodded gratefully. "I hadn't imagined that my honorifics might be unnecessary around team mates. I will keep that in mind when addressing everyone from now on."

Arthur shook his head and shoved his hands into his jean pockets. "Never mind." He muttered stiffly. Idiot, obviously it's because I thought we were going to be friends. He thought bitterly.

"Arthur!" Kiku yelled, worry lacing his voice. "I'm sorry have I done something to upset you again?"

He smiled wryly, staring at the ground. He was just being kind. Of course Kiku would think to include everyone, why wouldn't he? Just because he wanted to be friends didn't mean that he should force the other boy to turn his back to everyone else. He wouldn't dream of something like that. Shaking his head he turned and sighed, giving the other boy a small smile. "No it's ok. I'm just thinking too much, that's all. Please don't worry."

"Hey! Would you two hurry up?" Arthur furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance and tossed the boy who had called a sour look.

"We're coming calm down." He snapped, storming around the remainder of the house and behind the cabin.

Soren, Lukas and Alfred stood casually against the back of the cabin, each looking a different kind of irritated. Lukas was staring off into space as usual, but he kept clenching and unclenching his hand, occasionally glancing back towards the tall Danish boy venomously. Soren on the other hand, was making no attempt to hide the cold look that he kept pinned on Lukas and seemed as if he was trying to bore a hole in his back. And of course Alfred, arms crossed and mouth set into a scowl, was glaring at him.

"What were you two doing down there that took so long?" Alfred asked coolly.

"What's it to you?" Arthur replied stiffly. "Anyway we're here now, so where to oh fearless leader?"

"Wait." Lukas interjected. "Before you," he turned to Alfred. "Or you," he said turning to Arthur. "Say another word, I'm suggesting we split up to get the job done faster. We all have phones right? We'll go by the other cabins and take pictures of them as we pass. That way we don't have to remember the designs and we get the job done faster."

"Fair enough." Soren muttered. "But who goes with who?"

"I'll decide that, obviously." Lukas retorted, rolling his eyes. "Alfred and Arthur will go together, Kiku with me, and you," he said, glancing at Soren. "Can go by yourself."

"I don't think so." Arthur hissed. "How about this? I go with Kiku, he goes with Soren, and you can go by yourself?"

"Because I'm not going alone." Lukas snapped. "End of discussion."

"Then you at least have to go with Soren." Alfred pointed out. "And Kiku can go by himself."

"But he's huge!" Lukas argued, pointing to Soren. "He'll be fine by himself."

"Um..." Kiku cut in. "I don't think it's such a bad idea. Besides it's good to start developing teamwork so..."

Arthur sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Very well. If it really does make sense to do it that way, then I will."

"Yea." Alfred muttered bitterly. "If that will work best, then I'll do it."

Arthur narrowed his eyes, shrugging off the angry glare he felt boring into his back. He didn't need to agree too.

Kiku nodded gratefully. "Alright then. Should we meet back here in an hour or so?" he asked.

Lukas gave him a terse nod, already turning away. "Yea. And don't forget to take pictures and stuff." Without another word, he started down the right side of the hill on which the cabin sat.

"Hey don't walk off without me!" Soren complained, running after him. Kiku chuckled quietly at the scene and turned to give the two a bright smile.

"Well I'll get going too." He said. Giving them a quick wave, he started over to the left side of the hill, and disappeared down the side. And they were alone.

"Guess we'll go straight back." Alfred muttered, stuffing his hand in the pockets of his sweatshirt.

"I guess we should." Arthur replied tightly. Slowly, the American began his decent down the hill, and after a moment, Arthur decided that at this point his only option was to follow him.

O ~ O ~ O

"I told you we shouldn't have gone off the path! Now look where we are? Do you see a single cabin anywhere?" Arthur snapped. They'd been walking through the ever thickening forest for near twenty minutes, and still and yet to come across another cabin. Needless to say, Arthur was not happy.

"Look I'm sure we'll run into one ok? And besides if we don't we can just turn back and go the way we came! No big deal." Alfred argued. "Besides..." He trailed off staring into the unexplored part of the forest. "I kind of want to know what the rest of this place looks li-"

"No, no and absolutely NOT!" Arthur yelled, cutting him off. "Did you forget we have a JOB to do? The others are probably almost done by now, and we haven't seen anything but trees! Besides look at the sky you twit, it's going to rain!" He was right. The clouds that had looked as if they were thinning just over an hour before were now heavy and ominously dark. The air filled with the scent of rain, so much choking the air that Arthur could practically taste the water on his tongue.

Alfred shrugged, eyebrows furrowing in annoyance. "It's just water." He muttered. "Don't get your panties in a knot."

"Easy for you to say! You have that heavy sweatshirt, I'm in a thin ass wind breaker!"

"So your problem is being cold?"

"To be honest I'm having a lot of problems with the situation right now."

"I'll say you are."

"Ugh! Why are you so ridiculously hard headed?" Arthur spat. "Any idiot with eyes can see it's going to pour, and any idiot with a brain would head for shelter at a time like this! But no you just want to wander through the forest." He turned away, holding the top of his head in an effort to sooth his growing headache. "And while I'm talking, let me say something else. You-"

"Shut up."

Arthur bristled, clenching his hands at his side. That bleeding git! I'm going to give him a piece of my mind! Spinning around, he opened his mouth to yell at him, but he never got the chance. Because the minute he turned, instead of being met by a scowling Alfred, his face collided with something warm and soft and he was thrown into darkness. At least momentarily.

"Bloody hell, what is this?" He cried, clawing the unknown object off his face. He grasped it firmly in his hands, and stared at it, blinking slowly in astonishment. It was a jacket. A blue jacket. A blue jacket that just so happened to belong to the American standing in front of him. He slid his eyes upward, staring at the blonde boy who was now clad in nothing but a thin white t-shirt and his jeans.

"I don't want this." Arthur muttered, holding the navy sweatshirt out in front of him. "You shouldn't have-"

"You're right I shouldn't have." Alfred interrupted. "Because now I'm the one who's going to freeze my ass off. But you know, it's better then listening to you complain about getting wet and being cold. Besides, helping people... that's what heroes are supposed to do." He shook his head, running his hand through his hair. "Honestly though, you're the weirdest punk I've ever met."

That's because I'm not a punk! Arthur bit back sourly. Eye's downcast, he rubbed his arms uncertainly and looked back at the coat. "I should yell at you for that." Arthur muttered bitterly. "But... if it means you won't bother me about it I'll wear the stupid thing." Taking a deep breath, he began to pull the sweatshirt over his head. His skin prickled at the feeling of it as he lowered it over his head, as if every fiber of his being was rejecting something that came from him. Oh be quiet. He thought inwardly. I'm going to freeze if I don't, is that what you want?

Now, head fully engulfed under the warm fabric and forced to breathe, (he'd been holding his breath unconsciously for nearly a minute) his nose was hit with an unfamiliar scent. One that didn't smell like the trees or the leaves, the grass, or himself. Even the smell of the rain was washed out with this one. The smell was of some sort of spice; warm and soothing, like a fireplace or a soft blanket, mixed with the odd smell of something tangy. Like a lemon, or an orange. Definitely an orange. Orange, spice and another smell that he couldn't identify. Was this really what Alfred smelled like? Not just his clothes, but his skin and hair? It was so overbearing he was surprised he hadn't noticed it before. I guess I really didn't bother to notice before. He thought, pulling his head through the hole at the top.

His body still tingled viciously at the thought of having to wear something of his, but he forcibly pushed the sensation away as he slid his arms out of the sweatshirt. It was overwhelming him now, that smell. And suddenly, he wished it were the rain he tasted on his tongue, and not Alfred Jones.

"Alright. We'll walk for a little bit longer the way we're going and then we'll head back." The American said suddenly, turning his back to him. "Come on let's go."

I'm not really in a position to argue, especially after he leant me his jacket. Arthur mused begrudgingly.

"Hey are you coming or what?" Arthur blinked in surprise, and looked up to see that Alfred was already a good way's away from him. How the bloody hell had he done that?

"Of course I am you twat." He yelled back. "Slow up! You don't even know where you're going."

"Yea whatever."

They walked for several minutes in silence, Arthur trailing just behind him as Alfred lead them through the forest. And then suddenly, he stopped short and Arthur bumped awkwardly into his back. "Hey watch it! Why did you stop?" He hissed in annoyance.

"It's steep here." Alfred warned coolly, seemingly ignoring the anger in Arthur's voice. "And it's still slippery from the rain. Watch your step."

Arthur glanced around him and bit back a surprised gasp. It was like someone had cut away the gentle inclining hill with a knife, leaving it nearly a vertical drop into the gnarled bramble at the bottom. He shuddered inwardly, glancing back down the path from which they'd come. He would have suggested that they walk further away from the edge of the sudden incline, but they were backed against a thick wall of trees that would most likely have been just as difficult to get through as stepping along the side of the hill.

Alfred had already begun stepping tenderly across the top of the hill, glancing back and forth every other second to check his footing, and holding firmly to the tree's behind him. Here goes nothing. He swallowed, stepping forward. Almost instantly, he felt himself begin to slip forward from the water, but managed to steady himself against a tree before he really began to trip. "Damn it." He muttered under his breath. This was going to be harder then it looked. Gingerly, he placed another foot forward, pulling himself inch-by-inch across the hill and clinging from tree to tree as he went.

"Hey don't fall behind." Alfred called from a few feet in front of him.

"Idiot, I'm practically right behind you." Arthur ground out, currently calculating the angle at which he should take is next step. Know it, thinks he can tell everyone what to do. He hissed inwardly. If I had half a mind I would-

Thoughts interrupted, and mind gone numb, he called out in horror as the ground disappeared from beneath him, and he was sucked downward into the thorns below, reaching for something that wasn't there. And crying out the first name the came to his mind, his conscious went black, and he felt himself falling...

O ~ O ~ O

His body ached miserably; back sore and prickling, his ankle feeling like it had been twisted around, and this awful weight on his chest. "Aghhhh!' He moaned, moving to shift his body around to sit up. He couldn't. He felt panic rise in his gut as he felt around his surroundings (although still refusing to open his eyes). What had happened? The last thing he remembered was falling. Where was he? He'd actually survived that? His mind sparked in worry, as he remembered his companion.

"Alfred." He whispered. Where was the other boy? Had he left him to fall? Had he even realized what had happened?

"Don't say my name like that, it sounds weird."

Jade eye's shot open in astonishment, traveling instantly to his chest. The Americans face was buried into his blue sweatshirt, body sprawled over his own. His arms, Arthur realized, were hugged closely around his own form, entrapping him as well as protecting him from the thorns he knew they were surrounded by.

"A-Alfred!" He cried, scrambling to push himself up despite the other boys hold on him.

"That's the third time you've said my name in ten minutes. Ironically, it's also the third time you've said my name, period. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't, it's awkward." Alfred muttered into his chest. Arthur felt annoyance rise in his throat.

"So is having you laying on me!" He snapped, forcing the other boy off of him as best he could. "Let go of me you twat! What the hell happened?"

"Can't move." Alfred groaned. "Ah god my arm."

Arthur's blood ran cold, pooling with dread. "Wait your arm? What's happened to your arm? You idiot answer me!" He hissed, trying to keep the urgent worry out of his voice as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Alfred's body slid slowly off of his own, although his head remained in his lap.

"Your accents getting heavier." Alfred mumbled, turning his head on its side. "I can't understand a word you're saying."

"Your arm." Arthur drawled out stiffly. "What happened to your arm?"

"I think I broke it. Or something." Alfred breathed out. "Either way I can't move it."

"Try letting go of me!" Arthur yelled, prying the Americans arms from around his waist. Alfred cried out in pain, burying his head into Arthur's stomach.

"Damn it!" the other boy choked out. "Agh shit it hurts."

Arthur turned his head away, forcing the embarrassed blush from his face. He must really be hurt, if he's clinging to ME of all people so tightly. He reasoned, glancing back at the whimpering American in his lap.

"Can you stand?" Arthur murmured.

"Probably." Alfred replied, voice still dripping with pain. "Just gimmie a sec Arthur."

He felt his heart practically leap from his chest in surprise at the sound of his name slipping from the other boy's tongue. Arthur? Had he just called him Arthur?

"Idiot don't call me by name either." He muttered hotly, yanking gently at the boy's cowlick.

"Augh!" Alfred moaned in surprise. "Don't pull at my hair you damn Brit! I'm getting up."

Arthur bit back and angry retort and watched as slowly (using only one arm) Alfred pushed himself to his knees. His face was a mess. Cheeks cut up, forehead bleeding and glasses looking very much broken. His shirt was also littered with thorns and rips.

"What's wrong with it?" Alfred gasped, sitting back on his legs and covering his face with his hand. "What's wrong with my other arm, can you see?"

Arthur winced at the pain in his ankle, but ignored it, sliding forward to get a better look at Alfred's arm. It was covered in giant gashes, far worse then the ones on his other arm and the rest of his body. On top of that it looked... odd. Not broken per say, but a little out of place. "Dislocated." He whispered. Shaking his head, he cleared his throat and spoke up. "I think you dislocated it. On top of that, you've got some really bad cuts here. Chance's are they'll scar."

"Brilliant." Alfred hissed into his palm. "You know how to put an arm back in?"

Arthur bit his lip and nodded. "Yea. I dislocated my arm once when I was little. My..." He trailed off scratching the back of his head. "Well never mind. Anyway, someone fixed it for me and it's pretty easy. Of course I've done it myself numerous times. I just have to pop it back in."

"Then hurry up and do it!" Alfred spat.

Arthur raised an eyebrow, dusting his fingers across the cuts on the other boy's arm. "Do you yankee's know how to say please?"

"I've done my share of begging for the year." Alfred ground out. "I begged for my glasses back and that's as far as I go. If you won't do it, I'll put my own arm back in." Knocking Arthur's hand away, he gripped his other shoulder and took a deep breath.

"Ah wait, I'll do it." Arthur offered. "Seriously it hurt's when you have to do it yourself. I've had to and it's really bad."

"Don't touch me." Alfred muttered, still staring at the ground. "I don't want to owe you any favors." Wincing, the American ever so slowly began to lift his disjointed arm back into its socket.

"Damn it!" He swore, lurching forward. Arthur reached his hand out tentatively but quickly withdrew it. If this idiot wanted to do it on his own then he would let him. He watched as Alfred's knuckles whitened around his arm, and in a swift motion, he jerked his hand upward and back into its proper spot. Letting out a gasp of surprise, he fell toward Arthur, coming dangerously close to his lap again but this time, managing to keep his head up. He was silent for only a moment, as if holding back his pain, until he finally let out a relieved sigh.

"That's taken care of." He murmured, rubbing his shoulder gently. "That's going to hurt for a while..." He trailed off, cerulean eyes flitting up to meet Arthur's. "Alright now we can take care of your ankle."

Arthur blinked slowly at him, still awestruck at the fact that the other boy had actually managed to fix it on his own. "What's wrong with my ankle?"

"You twisted it." Alfred replied very matter-o-factly.

"How did you know that?" Arthur asked suspiciously. Alfred turned his eyes to the sky before glancing back at him.

"Before you woke up, my arm was so numb I couldn't feel the pain." He answered. "So I reoriented myself and tried to get you up. When that didn't work I um..." He trailed off, tugging at his golden locks. "I checked you over to see what kind of damage you'd taken. After that the pain kicked in and I sort of fell unconscious for a little bit."

"What happened?" Arthur asked stiffly.

"What do you mean what happened? I just looked at you ankle and saw-"

"You git that's not what I meant!" He snapped. "What happened after I fell? I blacked out."

"Oh yea that." Alfred muttered. "Well I heard you falling and you... you yelled out my name so I managed to get a hold of you before you start to really go down the hill... but I didn't really think about how I would keep my own balance and we both went down."

Arthur blinked numbly at him, trying to process what the other boy had just told him. "Wait... you saved me?"

"Yea and I'm not doing it again." Alfred replied sourly. "Fortunately, we managed to avoid most of the bramble patches although we both picked up a good bunch of thorns. And besides your ankle and my arm that's really the worst of it. You could have snapped your neck or something if you'd gone down on your own..."

"How did that happen to your arm?" He asked, guilt pooling in his gut. Alfred had saved him? Jumped out and reached for him as he'd fallen? It sounded so impossible, but he was alive and really unhurt. And seeing Alfred in the same condition, no even worse, he was inclined to believe him.

Alfred shrugged. "Dunno. It probably happened when we were rolling. I guess when I was holding on to you it must have gotten caught and yanked out. I really don't remember to be honest."

"What about the cuts?"

"I don't know how those happened either."

"Sorry." Arthur murmured earnestly, looking down. He'd saved HIM? Him of all people? If he had been in Alfred's position would he have done the same?

"Yea you should be." Alfred replied. "But now we're even. You gave me back my glasses, and I saved your life. Seems like a fair trade to me." Arthur forced down a small, amused smile at the sarcasm laced in his words.

"Come on." Alfred sighed, extending his hand. "There's nothing we can do about your ankle here, and we're going to have to figure out how to get back to the cabin because we sure as hell aren't going back up this hill."

Biting the inside of his lip, Arthur hesitantly extended his hand and allowed his fingers to grasp around Alfred's palm. "Come on." Alfred grunted, pulling both of them to their feet. Arthur let out a gasp of pain at the ache in his left foot, worrying for an instant that he was going to fall back down again until Alfred smoothly looped his arm around his shoulder.

"Hey! I can stand up on my own." Arthur snapped indignantly. Alfred turned his head and smirked broadly at him.

"I bet you can. But walking is a different story. So unless you want to stay here, I suggest you accept my help, reluctant as I am to give it."

Sighing, Arthur abandoned his resolve and let himself lean ever so tentatively against the other boy's body. "If you had just listened to me, none of this would have happened." He ground out. And just then, it started to rain.

O ~ O ~ O

"Arthur-san! Arthur-san!"

Why did that voice sound so familiar? And that honorific... who was it that he knew who added those things?

"Arthur!"

Arthur jolted awake suddenly, scrambling into a sitting position. "What, what, what's going on?" He gasped, eyes darting about. "Where am I? What happened?"

"Arthur calm down please." The voice pleaded. Arthur blinked slowly, allowing his muscles to relax and collapsing back into the sheets of his bed. Kiku was sitting by him, a worried expression tugging at his face.

"Arthur-san please don't strain yourself." He murmured. "You're still very hurt and soaked from the rain."

"What happened?" He inquired, falling back against his pillow and covering his eyes with his arm.

"You and Alfred got back a couple hours ago." He replied. "He told us what happened and of course we all gathered to help. He said you passed out again while the two of you were walking home, and he had to carry you back. That's why you don't remember getting back here."

"He..." Arthur trailed off, fighting to keep his jaw from going slack. "He carried me back?"

Kiku nodded. "Yes. You had both been gone for nearly two hours and we, Soren-san and Lukas-san and I, we had already come back to the cabin but you two weren't back yet. On top of that it had started to rain, so we had just been about to go out and search for you when Alfred came bursting through the door soaking wet and panting. Carrying you of course. We immediately got you into bed and called the rest of the team together."

"Where is he?" Arthur murmured, staring down at the sheets.

"He is down stairs, asleep on the couch I believe." Kiku answered. "But he didn't leave your side until just about half an hour ago. He was sitting with you for the whole time, waiting for you to wake up." Kiku chuckled into his hand and smiled at him. "He said he wanted to be the first you hit you over the head when you awoke. However, he was coughing fiercely and the wound on his arm was going left untreated in all the madness, so Ludwig forced him downstairs to get it treated and he fell asleep."

Arthur shook his head, holding his forehead in his hands. "There's no way that's possible." He murmured. "That he carried me back, that he stayed with me... that he SAVED me. Absolutely no way." He looked up, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Why, kiku? Why would he do that? He hates me. And he knows I hate him. So why would he go to such lengths to help me?"

Kiku smiled gently, tilting his head. "I think that's just how Alfred is." He relied softly. "It's in his nature to be kind, even if it may not seem that way to you sometimes. I think Alfred-san, is a very good person. Don't you Arthur?"

He shook his head, rubbing his temples. "I think he's an idiot."

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:** Horray! Woah. I can't believe I finished this chapter. Cannot believe it O.o. would you guys seriously believe I had not even four pages written this morning? XD I was seriously Freaking out lol. There was just this one part (you can probably tell where it is too because it's written so poorly XD ) That was giving me a ton of trouble and my story literally sat for five days unchanged because I couldn't think of how to get past it XD I know what I wanted to happen next, I just was stuck on how to get there lol. Anyway I'm happy to be finished with this chapter and nearly finished with school ^^ Also, is anyone else excited for the release of the fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie? *raises hand* I'm so psyched! XD A bunch of my friends and I are going to see it when it comes out :D cant say im happy about the lack of Orlando Bloom, but Johhny Depp will make up for it XD OH! and as for Alfred's dislocated arm... I honestly have no idea what it's like to dislocate one's arm as I've never done it. Everything that happened in that scene was based off of information I've received over time from friends who have. Most of them said it hurt really badly, but all they had to do was pop it back into place XD and if that's not how it works I apologize *bows* of course this IS fiction so if I wanted i could have made him grow wings and acquire magic healing powers but never mind that XD

As usual thank you for your support and reviews! Oh, and about the team name... if you want me to be honest I actually have no idea what it's going to be XD I figure I'll come up with something when the group starts discussing their findings but I really am not sure for now... so if anyone has any ideas purely based on the story so far please go ahead it would be much appreciated (and if I use your idea I'll be sure to credit you for it ^^)

Ahhhh I just realized how much my head hurts... (has been writing for three hours straight) *rubs temples* Thank you all and see you next week! :D


	10. Cheers and Chocolate

**A/N**: Oh! Something I forgot to mention! Alright this might sound a little weird (as it is my own interpretation of the matter XD ) But I actually had Al get those scars for a reason. essentially my view of america and his... anatomy is this: washington DC is his heart, texas obviously his glasses, but his arms, his arms I've always viewed as his north and west powers, california and new york. The hit to his right arm (which is the one that got dislocated and is going to scar) is purely a sense of remembering 9/11 (as it's been on my mind as of late) i know it doesn't really need an explanation as it could have been him just getting hurt, but i like having back reasons behind certain events in the story ahaha XD

Also! Thank you so so sooooo much to all my commentors! I got 15 reviews on the last chapter alone and you guys pushed me from 66 to 81 reviews! Seriously you guys are amazing!

Onward!

O ~ O ~ O

"How's your arm feel?"

Alfred blinked slowly, pushing himself gently up off of the beige couch. "It feels fine Matty. I promise." He assured his worried friend. Matthew shook his head, settling down in a chair across from him.

"If you say so. At least you've been sleeping like Ludwig told you too. We thought you were going to cough your lungs out the way you sounded."

"It's just a cold." He muttered, rubbing his nose. "It'll go away soon."

"That aside." Matthew began. "We were all so worried about you two! Seriously Alfred what were you thinking? We were told just yesterday not to ever go off the path and that's the first thing you do! Ludwig's furious, and if the both of your weren't hurt I'm sure he'd be yelling at you right now."

Alfred stared down into the hardwood floor, gritting his teeth in frustration. He knew that! But it wasn't his fault that they had taken so long to get back! If that idiot hadn't tripped, and then fainted of all things, then they would have been back to the cabin without any trouble and no one would have been the wiser. He let out an exasperated sigh and fell back against the couch.

"How is he?"

Matthew smiled gently and laughed. "He's fine. Last I checked he was sleeping. Apparently he woke up for a little while you were asleep, but he's out again. Kiku should still be up there with him. Everyone else is scattered around the upstairs part of the house so as to let you rest."

"He damn well better be fine." Alfred snapped. "I risked my life to get him back here. If he has so much as a scratch left on him still..."

"I'm sure he appreciates the concern." Matthew chuckled. "Would you like to go up and see him?"

"Like hell I would!" He growled, fisting his blanket between his fingers. "Screw that."

"Don't be so upset my friend."

Alfred sat up from the couch with a start, glancing into the kitchen where the voice had resonated. Antonio was smiling brightly at him, holding a large blue mug in his hand.

"Here you go." He said, placing the cup on the table in front of him. "There was a little bit of cocoa left in the cabinets, and I figured you could use it. You've been shivering like crazy."

Alfred smiled appreciatively at the Spanish boy and gratefully lifted the warm chocolate drink to his lips. "Num." He grinned, licking his lips. "Hey that's pretty good! It doesn't taste like it's out a of a packet or anything."

Antonio nodded, wiping his hands on his deep red shirt. "I added some other stuff to it to make it taste more natural. Ah don't worry I made sure to ask if you were allergic to anything first." He chuckled, collapsing in the chair next to Matthew's. "Good thing you aren't."

"I've got a stomach of steel." He bragged, taking another sip of the rich cocoa before placing it back down on the table. "That aside, how's everyone doing up there Antonio?"

Antonio shrugged, laying back in the chair and staring up at the ceiling. "Same as usual I suppose. I think Elizaveta and Roderich were talking in the upstairs living room, and I believe Berwald and Soren were up there too. Other then that, everyone is in there rooms. Which is why I'm here." He chuckled. "I figured Romano wouldn't want me hanging out up there with him so I took the chance to come down and try to be of some help."

"Speaking of him, how are you two getting along?" Alfred inquired. Antonio sighed, rubbing his hand through his chocolate brown locks.

"You want the honest truth? Pretty crappy." He smiled sadly.

"You seem upset about it." Matthew put in. "Why? Don't you dislike Romano?"

Antonio shrugged half-heartedly. "I don't dislike him. Although I don't really dislike anyone. I just... I wish we could be friends." He murmured. "But when I try to talk to him he just yells at me or tells me to go away. Usually both. I don't know what I did but it seems like he hates me so much, I don't know if we'll ever get along."

"I know what you mean." Alfred muttered, rolling his eyes. "Although in my case I don't particularly care."

Antonio laughed, flashing him an amused grin. "I figured you'd say that mi amigo. Anyway," He said, standing up. "I should go up and tell the others you're awake, no? Unless you want to go up yourself..."

"I think I'll do that." Alfred mused, pushing himself off the couch. "Besides I owe Arthur a visit, and it's about time he woke up."

"Alfred!" Matthew protested, stepping in front of him. "You've already got the makings of a cold! You should stay down here and stay warm. And no antagonizing Arthur in his state!"

"I'm not going to antagonize him, I'm gonna put a foot in his face." Alfred grumbled, crossing his arms. "Come on Matty I just want to see Soren." Matthew stared at him uncertainly, violet eyes pooling with worry.

"Fine." He sighed, stepping aside. "But whatever happens you better be able to atone for it!"

"No promises!" He grinned, saluting as he passed him.

"Alfred!"

Laughing, he dashed across the room and stumbled up the stairs before his Canadian friend could get even a finger on him. His arms hurt like hell, and his chest felt heavy from the cold he was surely getting, but somehow it didn't bother him. I must have really needed some sleep. He reasoned, remembering his tireless night after the first day.

"Al?" His ears perked at the sound of a warmly familiar voice, eyes shifting to the top of the stairs.

"Soren!" He smiled. "Hey man, I was just coming to look for you."

"Good to see your up and doing well." He chuckled, hopping down the steps. "I thought you were going to sleep forever!"

"Hey now." He teased, shoving him lightly. "I needed the rest and you know it."

"Yea I guess." Soren replied, blue eyes glistening warmly. "You deserved it anyway. After all that happened I'm actually surprised you didn't sleep longer."

"Speaking of people sleeping." Alfred began. "Is HE up yet?"

Soren shrugged, glancing up the stairs. "Dunno. He was up a while ago, or so Kiku told us. But as far as I know he's still asleep."

"Well that needs to be fixed." Arthur groused.

"Won't let him alone for a second will you?" Soren smirked.

"Forget the teachers. The only pranks I want to play this year are on him." Alfred grinned slyly.

Soren shook his head. "I'm going to regret saying this, but I'm behind you every step of the way buddy. Now stop griping and wake him up if it's annoying you so much."

Alfred waved his hand dismissively and with a final mischievous grin in Soren's direction, he dashed up the stairs and down the hall. He has the nerve to still be sleeping! Alfred thought sourly. And I'm the one who saved him and carried his ass all the way back here! Taking a deep breath in a weak attempt to calm himself, he pushed the door open forcefully. Kiku was sitting in a small chair by his bed, quietly reading a book, while the blonde haired monster continued to rest soundly under the covers.

"Alfred?" Kiku cried, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I didn't expect you to have woken up so quickly! How do you feel?"

"I'll feel better once I've had a word with him." Alfred replied, shooting a stiff glare at the sleeping boy.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea." Kiku said nervously. "Arthur isn't feeling well either, and I'm sure he wouldn't be happy if you woke him."

"I'm sure he won't," he snorted, storming over to the bed.

"A-Alfred-san!" Kiku pleaded. "'It's not right to-"

"It's alright Kiku." A groggy voice cut in. Alfred stiffened, glancing over at Arthur. The dirty blonde had pushed himself up in his bed and was rubbing the sleep out of his scowling eyes. "What are you doing, terrorizing me so soon after I've woken up?" He growled, stepping out of bed.

"I want payback." He shot angrily. "I saved your life twice you ungrateful bastard. And after I stayed awake for hours, it's the least you could have done to wake up before I did."

"Does his highness want his bath warmed for him too?" Arthur snorted, rolling his eyes. "I... appreciate, what you did for me. But it doesn't change anything, and I owe you nothing. You may have been strong enough to carry me back, but im equally sure that im strong enough to do damage to that other arm of yours. And in your state I'm not sure that's a fight you want to be picking right now."

Alfred felt his blood boil venomously and sneered at the other boy. Suddenly and without warning, he lunged forward and yanked up a fistful of the Britons white t-shirt, pulling him forward until their faces were just inches apart.

"Why don't you shut up and put your money where your mouth is?" Alfred snarled. "I'm not so weak that I can't beat you."

Arthur smirked casually at him, poison green eyes alighting dangerously. "Is that so? Then why don't we test that theory?"

"Alfred! Arthur!" Kiku cut in desperately. "Would the two of you please cease this nonsensical fighting?"

Alfred bit his lip angrily, but reluctantly tore his eyes away from Arthurs and relinquished his grip on the smaller boys shirt, letting his hand fall to his side. Damn it! He swore inwardly. Picking a fight with Arthur in front of Kiku probably wasn't the best idea on his part.

"Thank you." Kiku sighed from behind them. "In any case, Alfred, it's good to see you up." He said, tone slipping smoothly into a much more cheery one. "You both have been sleeping for quite a while now."

"Is that so?" Alfred murmured, gripping his right arm as the wounds pulsated violently from beneath the bandages. Shit. He most have opened them again somehow. Even through the gauze he could feel the warmth of blood slipping across his skin. "In any case," He began looking for an excuse to leave the room. "I promised Matthew and Antonio I would check and see how things were up here. So I should be go-"

He stumbled weakly over his feet, falling against the base of the bed and swearing violently. I must have really lost a lot of blood before. He thought wearily. His head was already beginning to spin, and his wounds had just reopened.

"Alfred!" Kiku cried, worry lacing his voice. He felt the small Japanese boy fall beside him, shaking him. "Alfred, can you hear me?"

"Mmmm." He groaned, clutching his arm more desperately. The blood has begun to run down his fingers, dripping slowly onto the floor next to him and thankfully, catching the attention of the overly flustered onyx haired boy.

"You're wounds reopened!" He gasped. "Hold on I'll go find Ludwig and the bandages. He's the only one here who knows how to properly tend to a wound..." He fretted, standing up. "Arthur, PLEASE can you look after Alfred while I'm gone? We shouldn't be more then five minutes."

Alfred heard no reply from the other boy, but he assumed he'd nodded yes, as he heard Kiku's footsteps retreat quickly into the hall, and the door shut behind him.

"You seem like you just want me to keep taking care of that arm." Arthur snapped from beside him. Alfred tiredly shook his head, desperately trying to control his breathing.

"That's the last thing I want, trust me." He coughed out.

"Don't talk!" Arthur ordered. "Kiku already told me how badly you were coughing earlier. It'll do you no good to be talking now. Let me see your arm."

Alfred shook his head, forcing the haze from his mind. Damn. Just how much blood was he loosing?

"You twat let me see it!" Arthur growled, fingers ghosting across his wrist. "At least let me get the blood off of your hand."

Alfred bit back a complaint, and simply nodded wearily. "How's this for payment." Arthur muttered sourly. "Three minutes ago your storming down the door and yelling and me, and now here you are on the floor just trying to stay conscious. I told you would have lost that fight."

Alfred flinched as he felt cloth begin to run his hand free of the blood now caking his fingers. Arthur's movements were slow and careful, as if he was deliberately trying to be gentle. Alfred watched in silence as the dirty blonde boy scrubbed the blood from in between his fingers and the rest of his hand, pausing every so often to examine his work.

"It doesn't seem like you're bleeding as badly anymore." Arthur commented, running his lithe fingers across Alfred's wrist where there were still remnants of blood. "There's not much more here, and it's seemed to have slowed how quickly its coming out from under the bandages."

"Mmmmm." He mumbled, forcing himself to keep his eyes open.

"I wonder if I shouldn't take the bandages off so Ludwig can re-wrap your arm more quickly when he gets here." he heard Arthur muse. He shrugged half-heartedly.

"Doesn't matter to me." He sighed, laying his head against the wood of the bed. Slowly, he felt the blood soaked bandages begin to unwind from is skin, dropping to a heap in on the floor beside him.

"Honestly. There has to be a better way to inform an adult about this then waiting until Monday." Arthur murmured. "What if you need stitches?"

"I'm fine." He muttered hotly, breathing beginning to steady again. "I just moved around to soon. I felt better so I figured it was ok and they just tore open again."

"Obviously." Arthur retorted. "Why don't people like you think before you do things?"

"I think!" Alfred snapped.

"Yea THAT'S what you were doing when you lead us off into the middle of the woods!"

"Hey if it weren't for me, you'd be the one laying here bleeding out! Don't forget that."

Arthur looked away, clenching his fists at his sides. "Idiot. How could I forget that?" He hissed bitterly. "You don't need to keep reminding me! Thank you, all right! Thank you for breaking my fall and going down that hill with me, and carrying me back here, and even for giving me your sweatshirt! Thank you!"

Alfred felt his mind clear briefly, as if it was making sure to remember those words. Had he seriously thanked him? He'd been waiting for one, but he wasn't really expecting any sort of gratitude.

"And now it's your turn!" Arthur turned ferociously back at him, eyebrows twitching in annoyance.

He sighed and propped himself up so he was sitting straight again. "Thank you." He replied, locking eyes with the other boy. "Thank you for giving me my glasses back yesterday, thank you for not murdering me in my sleep, thank you for helping me when we were stuck in those bramble bushes, and thank you for helping me now, at this very moment. And I'm sorry. For getting us into all this mess." He turned his head away, staring at the ground in a futile attempt to conceal his embarrassment at having to not only apologize, but to thank the sharp tongued Briton. "Are we even now?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Arthur nod. "You should probably go see what's taking them so long," he muttered, refusing to meet Arthur's eyes again.

"Yea. I will." The other boy replied. Alfred felt his body stiffen at the sudden warmth against his cheek, guiding his face around until he was once again facing the green-eyed boy. "You really need to get your glasses fixed." Arthur muttered almost to himself, peering at the scratched lenses. He paled, suddenly overly conscious at the feel of Arthur's hand cupping the side of his face, barely ghosting against his skin as his fingers lifted his glasses ever so slightly off the bridge of his nose.

"I'll deal with it later." He grumbled awkwardly, knocking Arthur's hand away. "Weren't you going to get someone?"

"Alfred -san! I'm sorry that took so long!" The door burst open with the arrival of Kiku, Ludwig, Soren and Matthew. He scooted clumsily away from Arthur, who had already snapped back into a kneeling position about two feet from him.

"Ahahaha it's ok really." He assured the distressed boy. "Really. The bleeding has started to slow down a little so I don't feel so dizzy. Although..." he hung his head, holding it with his good arm as he grimaced. "I can't say I feel ready to run a race or anything..."

"Hold your arm out." Ludwig ordered, crouching down beside him. "Did you take the bandages off?"

"Ah no." He replied, casting a sideways glance at Arthur. "He did."

Ludwig nodded gratefully at the Briton, pulling a clean roll of gauze out of his pocket. "Thank you for getting it off before it got to soaked. It would have been more difficult to unwrap if the whole bandage had been completely soaked through."

Arthur shrugged, getting to his feet and staring out the door. "Whatever." He replied nonchalantly. "If I don't have to be here anymore, can I go? I'm kind of hungry..."

"Of course." Kiku assured. "Ludwig-san, do you need me for anything?"

Ludwig shook his head and waved him off. "No it's fine. You go with Arthur. He should have someone around him for a while to make sure he doesn't fall over too."

Alfred caught Arthur mutter something assuredly unpleasant, but gave a polite nod toward Kiku before turning out the door and disappearing from sight.

"Alfred are you sure you're ok?" Matthew asked nervously, sitting down beside him.

"I'm honestly fine Matty." He insisted. "It just tore open. Don't worry my arm will be back to normal in a week. Remember, I heal fast."

"Yes we're well aware of your amazing healing powers." Soren chuckled. "Even so I think you should be extra careful this week. And when we get to school, talk to your homeroom teacher about what happened. I'm sure they'll cut you some slack."

"There." Ludwig proclaimed suddenly. "Now if it starts to bleed again, or the wrapping tears or anything of the like, come to see me immediately. It's possible you may need stitches, so we have to keep it as controlled as possible until you can have it examined by a doctor. You should rest for now..."

"No way!" Alfred protested. "I feel better already! Besides, don't we all have to decide on our design and team name today? I'm part of this house, I should get a say too! When are you guys holding a meeting?"

"We were planning on holding one in about ten minutes..." Matthew began reluctantly. "If you think you're strong enough to go-"

"I'm strong enough." He cut in, pushing himself unsteadily to his feet. "I can sit around and talk at least."

"If you say so." Matthew sighed. "At least let us give you a hand."

"I'm fine on my own." He insisted. It was just a bad cut! I don't know why they're so worried. He thought. It's not such a big deal. People get hurt way worse all the time.

"Come one Al." Soren grinned, wearing a bemused expression on his face. "I'll race you down the stairs."

O ~ O ~ O

Ten minutes later, there sat the whole cabin for their second meeting of the day. Well, all except for one.

"Damn it where is Feliciano?" Romano fumed, pacing around the room. " I told him to get his ass down here five minutes ago! What could he possible be doing?"

"Calm down Romano I'm sure he's on his way." Antonio assured him.

"I didn't ask you did I?" Romano snapped, turning to give the brunette a dirty look. Antonio held his hands up defensively and shrugged. He's not even bothering to try acting like their getting along anymore. Alfred mused, glancing back at the bickering pair.

"Should we start without him?" Tino suggested. Berwald nodded in approval, and the smaller boy to offered a weak smile. Berwald had taken instantly to the Finnish boy, making no effort to hide his favoritism. Before they'd set off earlier, he had supported nearly every one of Tino's decisions, no matter the voice of the rest of the group. Tino on the other hand, still seemed wary about his much bigger and more frightening looking partner, and when they were all together at least, only ever offered him the occasional glance or nervous smile. It was an odd relationship, although certainly not one of the worst amongst the group.

"No, let us wait for Feliciano-san." Kiku insisted. "He told me he was going to get something and then he would be right down. Just give him another minute."

"We can only wait so long Kiku." Ludwig sighed, glancing at the watch on his wrist.

"Ve hey wait for me wait for me!" Feliciano stumbled suddenly down the stairs with a pile of papers in his arms. "Sorry I took so long! I couldn't fi-ah –ahh!" He cried, tripping down the last step. The Italian flailed momentarily in mid air, and then, with a resounding wack, hit the ground face first.

"Feliciano!" Two voices cried in unison. Romano tossed a surprised and almost disgusted look at Ludwig, and dashed over to his brother's side.

"You idiot be more careful!" He snapped, peeling Feli's face off the floor.

"I tried fratello!" Feliciano sobbed, rubbing his bruised nose and tears streamed down his face. "But I was going so fast and those steps got in the way!"

"Idiota." Romano sighed. "Come on, get up." Feliciano shook his head, burying his face in his hands.

"Roma I don't want to! My face hurts and I looked really stupid!"

"Feliciano I swear if you don't get up right now-"

"That's enough Romano." Ludwig cut in curtly. Glancing at the tearing Italian on the floor, he knelt down beside him and sighed.

"Does it hurt that badly? I can give you an ice pack if you really want to."

Feliciano shook his head, still clutching his nose. "Well then don't you think you're ok to stand? Come on no one is laughing at you." He said gently.

"I am." Gilbert snickered.

"Bruder maul halten(Brother shut up)." Ludwig snapped, not even glancing at the other German. The rest of the room snickered at Gilberts annoyed expression for a moment, but quickly grew quiet again.

"Really?" Feliciano sniffed, rubbing his eyes. Ludwig nodded.

"Really. Now come on, get up. Here I'll help you." Ludwig offered awkwardly, extending his hand. Feliciano sniffled a minute more and slowly took the German boy's outstretched hand, allowing himself to be pulled clumsily to his feet.

"Hey how come you got up when he told you to?" Romano complained, still crouching sourly where his brother had been sitting.

"Because he didn't yell at me." Feliciano stuck out his tongue at his brother before giving Ludwig a bright smile. "Besides I brought all this stuff to show you guys!" Ludwig shifted uncomfortably, giving Feliciano an odd look before shaking his head and turning his attention back to the rest of the room.

"What did you bring Feliciano-san?" Kiku asked curiously, peering at the papers still clutched firmly in the bouncy Italians hands.

"You forgot to bring down all the sketching we did!" He exclaimed. "Remember? When all that craziness began we all rushed downstairs and we left the drawings in my room!"

Kiku blanched and bowed apologetically. "I am very very sorry!" He stammered. "I had completely forgotten! And I was supposed to be the one presenting our ideas!"

"Ve it's ok, we'll do it together!" Feliciano laughed, holding out the papers to the stuttering Japanese boy.

"Wait you two designed the emblem together?" Yao asked curiously. Feliciano nodded in response.

"Yup! Kiku asked me for some help so we worked on the designs together! Here see look!" He exclaimed, dropping the pile of papers on the coffee table. The group gathered around instantly, pawing through the stack and examining the work in awe. Even Alfred couldn't help but feel impressed. Each design was different; unique in someway that made it ornately its own, apart from all the others. On top of that, each was so beautifully drawn, he was questioning weather the two who had drawn them weren't professional artists. Every line, every tick mark and shape on the page was drawn perfectly, as if it was something that had taken days and not just hours. And there were so many of them.

"These are incredible." Elizaveta murmured, examining one of the emblem designs that she held in her hand. "How are we going to pick just one?"

"We should have a vote." Roderich suggested. "The design that gets the most votes will be used."

The room rang with agreement as the papers continued their circle, being passed from student to student. One in particular caught Alfred's eye, and he plucked it off the table to get a better look at it. It was stunning. The image depicted the earth, or at least, what it used to look like. All of the continents that were now split apart and broken were united together in one massive landmass at the center of the orb. Atop the globe, sat a down pointed sword, the hilt sitting above the earth's top, and the end falling below it. And drawn meticulously around the blade of the sword, was what appeared to be an olive leaf.

"Matty look at this." He murmured, showing his friend the image. Matthew nodded, taking the picture in his hands and studying it.

"That's so pretty." He mused in amazement. "Kiku," He called over the excited chatter of the room. "Can I ask you something?"

The boy nodded and stepped quickly over to them, peering over Matthew's shoulder. "Hai?"

"Can you tell me what this symbolizes? I'm sure it means something."

Kiku laughed softly and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I did draw that one, but it was Feliciano's design, not mine. He refused to tell me what it was to stand for."

"Feli!" Alfred yelled. Feliciano jumped, turning to look for the calling voice.

"Ve, Alfred what is it?" He asked, stepping next to Kiku.

"What does this symbolize?" HE asked.

Feliciano smiled and shook his head. "What do you think it means?"

"Well..." He paused, looking back at the sketching. "I assume the inclusion of the earth is to represent the diversity of our house, and then there's the fact that their all together, like Pangaea so I suppose that would be unity. The sword in front of the earth would be strength and perseverance, and if that's an olive leaf, I suppose that would be to represent peace right?"

"Hey you got it!" Feliciano cried happily. "That's exactly what I was going for!"

"I love it!" Matthew praised, running his fingers over the picture. "I think we should use this one."

"I second that." Alfred agreed. It was seriously an amazing drawing. Not only was the idea behind it a great one, but it was also drawn beautifully. He never would have guessed Kiku was THAT good.

"What are you guy's looking at?" Soren asked, standing over them. "Woah." He murmured, nodding appreciatively. "That ones pretty good. What do you guys think?"

"Matt and I are voting for this one." Alfred grinned. "What about you Soren? Which one do you like?"

"Hmm actually I'd have to say this is my favorite so far." He replied, examining the image. "Cool. Guess this one's got my vote too."

"What's going on?" Elizaveta inquired. "Let me see it! Have you guys decided on this one? Wow that's beautiful!"

"Why don't you vote for this on?" Alfred suggested. She nodded, setting the picture back in his hands.

"Yea I think I will." She agreed.

"What is that one?"

"I haven't seen it!"

"I l'ke th's one th' b'st."

Soon, the whole room was crowded around their little spot on the sofa trying to get a look at the popular design.

"It looks like we have a winner." Ludwig announced over the noise. "Can we all agree on this one?"

The room nodded unanimously. No matter our quarrels with each other, it's good that we can at least put that aside to decide something. Alfred mused, glancing at Arthur. The punk seemed happy enough about the choice, although when he whispered something to Francis that made the French boy laugh, he wasn't quite so sure.

"Good." Ludwig called. "Now, everyone quiet so we can decide a name."

"Oh oh I know!" Gilbert yelled, jumping up. "We can be the super awesome team of awesomeness! Or Gilberts team of awesomeness! Or the-"

"Rejected." Elizaveta growled, cutting him off. "Does anyone have any serious ideas?"

"We could be the Bolsheviks." Ivan suggested. "That names is really well known in my country."

"Pass." Alfred shuddered. "Also I'm pretty sure that's not an appropriate name for a school team…"

"A lot of the team names on other cabins were things having to do with their particular talents." Soren offered.

"But we don't have a particular talent." Lukas replied. "We're just a bunch of random students with completely different skill sets. Not to mention not a single one of us shares a set culture…" He snorted. "Can you imagine trying to fight a war with the lot of us as soldiers? Now that would be funny."

"No way we would totally rule the world!" Gilbert interjected. "Well at least I would because I'm awesome."

"Ve that's it!" Feliciano cried suddenly. "Rule the world! It works for us, since all of us are from all over the world, so in a sense we really do rule it. Also, that IS what makes us stronger. Don't you remember? What the director said? The reason we were grouped together was because we're all so different and from other ends of the earth."

"It's cool." Antonio agreed. "But isn't that a little long for a team name?"

"We can say it in another language so it's only one word." Francis suggested.

"Sure but which language?" Arthur sighed.

"We should use one that we won't argue about." Feliciano insisted. "Veeee…how about... Latin? That way none of us will feel like we're being chosen over the others."

"You know Latin?" Gilbert scoffed.

"Ve A little." Feliciano smiled. "My Grandpa had to learn it when he was a kid, so he taught some to me and Romano! In Latin, rule the world is Imperaturi. See, it works perfectly. It's only one word!"

"Then it's settled." Alfred exclaimed, excitement coursing through his body. "We'll be Imperaturi. Impera for short. Does…" He glanced at Feliciano. "Does that work? Asa word I mean."

Feliciano nodded. "Impera means take command. So if you wanted to shorten it sometimes you could, and it wouldn't make it a made up word."

"Perfect."

They glanced at each other, the room filling with silence.

"So…" Alfred stood, sticking his hand into the center of the coffee table. "How about it guys? Let's rule the world."

"Hell yea!" Gilbert yelled, slapping his hand on top of Alfred's.

"We'll be the best team ever!" Matthew agreed, sticking his hand in.

One by one, every hand made it's way to the center, each time, someone offering words of encouragement to the group. Until finally, only one hand remained unaccounted for.

"Come on Arthur, you too." Francis chided, motioning with his head for the Briton to stick his hand in. Arthur bit his lip, staring across the group hesitantly. Idiot we're not going to bite you. Alfred sighed inwardly.

"Come on." He encouraged. "We're a team now. It's about time we started acting like one."

Arthur shook his head and offered a wry smile. "It won't last you know. Nothing ever does." He muttered. Nevertheless, the Briton stepped slowly forward and lowered his hand on the top of the pile.

"Alright!" Alfred cheered, pumping his good arm in the air. "Imperaturi for the win!"

The room exploded with laughter and cheers, the team members shoving each other excitedly and smiling together. Finally, for the first time in the two days that they'd been a team, the world felt at peace.

**A/N:** :D :D I was grinning that whole final part lol. I love sappy stiff like that. Seriously im such a sucker for it lol. 3 Now about the name, since I know Im going to get comments on it. First off, this time I am 99.9% sure that it is correct. I checked the translator both ways, latin to English and English to Latin and the meaning didn't change, an then I asked a friend of mine who's learning Latin, and he said it sounded right to his knowledge, SO I'm going to go with that for now XD Now as for the name itself, correctness aside, I don't really know why. I guess I've been listening to to much Viva la Vida lol. But it just seemed to fit them somehow ^^ as for the design, I'm less confident about how that turned out in my head, but maybe I'll get used to it XD I think it would look cool on an arm band any way and that's what it's needed for so it's all good haha. I'm thinking of draswing and coloring it to get a clearer picture of it out but im not sure…

And horray horrah, another late Sunday night post.. go figure. Oh well I got it up by my deadline :) Hm… Imma go to bed now… or finish my homework… unfortunately most likely the latter .

Of course we all know the real question and suspense bit here is when is Alfred going to get some damn food XD

One last thing! I discovered that there are apparently different... levels of rudeness in which you can say what Ludwig did xD I'd say his was about a four based on what I found out, although I'm not sure lol.


	11. Tension and Tea

**A/N:** YOU GUY'S ARE AMAZING.

There is no other way for me to say it then that. 17 reviews in one chapter? Not only that, but all of you wrote the most heartwarming comments I seriously thought my heart was going to burst :') On Friday, I barely had any of this chapter written, and to be honest I was thinking I was going to have to wait until next week to post a new one. I'm swamped with finals studying (as they start next week eek!) and this whole week has been one big blurr of project completions and other such things that I haven't really been thinking about the story. And yet almost every day there's a new review in my inbox telling me how wonderful my story is, and how much you all want me to keep writing! And so on Friday night at 8:53 I decided to sit down and write you guy's a chapter, because you deserve it SO much~ And tonight I finally finished it :D THANK YOU!

I PROMISE that next chapter school will be starting (or at least they'll be on their way there lol) so hopefully the pace will speed up...

OMG! I just realized what the PERFECT song for their relationship in this fic is XD But I won't tell you until way later lol so if any of you remember this good job! sorry I just had an epiphany of sorts and I had to write it down XD

ONWARD!

O ~ O ~ O

"But I wanna help too!" Alfred whined, tugging at Matthew's sleeve.

"Not a chance!" The Canadian cried, shaking the other boy off his arm. "Alfred you have a cold! It's not raining anymore, true, but it's still freezing outside and at this rate you're going to catch pneumonia. We have SCHOOL tomorrow, you can't be sick on the first day. Not to mention that arm. It started bleeding again just because you were moving to much. There's no way you can actually work with it!"

"Come on can't I just supervise or something?" Alfred begged, glancing past his friend down the stairs.

"No." Matthew replied firmly, stepping in Alfred's way. "You absolutely cannot. There are 16 of us working on it Alfred, we'll be fine without you and Arthur. Just go to bed and get some rest."

"Ok fine, I wont work or anything. I'll just sit on the steps in a blanket and sleep! Just please don't make me sit in the house alone with him for the rest of the day!" Alfred pleaded.

"You're being ridiculous!" Matthew scolded. "Besides I thought you two had worked it out... sorta..."

"Ha!" Alfred scoffed. "If working it out means I hate him even more, then yes Matthew, we've worked it out."

"Well I'm sorry!" Matthew cried. "But the fact of the matter is you're not allowed to leave the house. Even if Ludwig hadn't ordered you two to stay inside, I would have kept you in anyway."

"Gee glad to know someone's on my side." He grumbled, crossing his arms childishly.

Matthew sighed, pushing his glass up his nose and zipping his heavy red coat shut. "Look it's not like we're trying to torture you Alfred. But it's freezing outside! And the weather seems like it's only going to get worse today. You'll be no help to the group if you just get sicker. Someone will come in everyone in a while to check on you guys, ok? And it's about 3 now so we should all be in around 7 to eat dinner, or so Francis said."

"You really think it's gonna take that long to build?" Alfred gawked.

"Yea." Matthew muttered, glancing down the steps. "I mean think about it. We have to cut the wood to appropriate size, and then attach pieces together. Not to mention the carving and painting that has to be done. We'll be lucky if we're finished before 10."

"But then you all are going to get sick!" He argued. "And Matty, you've never really been great in cold weather to begin with. If..." He trailed off, rubbing his hand in his hair. "If you're going to make me sit around in the house for the rest of the day, the least you can do is promise me that you won't get sick."

"I can't promise that Alfred." Matthew laughed. "But I'll try."

"At least wear a scarf then!"

"It might rain! I'm not going to wear a scarf in the rain! Who does that?"

"I do!"

"Alfred, I have never once seen you wear a scarf while it's raining."

"Then at least take an umbrella!"

"I don't have an umbrella."

"Man, did you severely under pack."

"Alfred!" Matthew snapped, cutting him short. "There's no more arguing about it. You can't go out. I won't get sick. And don't fight with Arthur please."

"I won't fight with him if he doesn't fight with me." Alfred grumbled.

"Well it's a start." Matthew sighed. "Anyway I think while you're in here you should really start-"

"Mathieu what are you doing up there? Everyone has already started to gather outside!"

Matthew stiffened, turning warily to glimpse the boy who had called out to him. "Y-yea I know Francis. I'll be right down."

"As long as you don't leave me waiting much longer."

Alfred frowned in annoyance, casting a glance at his troubled friend. It was clear that Francis's presence was still bothering Matthew. Although whether it was the awkward closeness that the French boy had immediately established with him or something else, Alfred couldn't be sure.

"You really need to learn to ignore him." He advised, patting the other boy on the shoulder. "He's just trying to get to you. Just don't let it."

"Easier said then done." Matthew sighed. "But anyway it's alright, everything will work out in the end I suppose."

"You suppose?"

"Either way," he paused, turning down the steps. "I really do need to get going. See you in a little while Alfred." He waved a quick goodbye and with a final nod, disappeared around the bend of the stairs and out of sight.

"Well that's that." Alfred sighed, rubbing the back of his head. He couldn't seriously believe that they were expecting him to stay in that cabin all day with Arthur without some sort of conflict occurring. It seemed near impossible.

"Speaking of the little prick, I wonder where he's disappeared to." He muttered under his breath. Shrugging his shoulders uncaringly, he took off for their room in hopes that Arthur wouldn't be there. To his luck, he found it empty.

"Score!" He grinned, dashing into the space and shutting the door behind him. "Whole room all to myself!" He breathed happily, falling onto his bed. Now the question was, what to do? I could play DS. He mused, glancing down into his bag. But it was always more fun with another person.

"I wonder how the Internet in this place is?" He asked aloud. Reaching into his pack, he pulled out his sleek silver laptop and set it on the bed in front of him.

"Let's see now..." He muttered, opening the computer and typing in the password. His password was a thing of pride to him, because in all the years he'd kept it, no one had ever guessed it right. His parents often tried, Soren had wagered his own guesses, and even Matthew had joined in trying to figure out his computer password. It was a game they all played. When someone guessed your password, you had to change it, and it stayed that way until someone else guessed it, and so on.

The one rule was that it had to be something that, in any way, related to them. For example, Matthew's first password had been hockey (an easy round on Alfred and Soren's parts), because it was something that he loved and related to. Sometimes, one of them would think of a particularly difficult one and they would spend several weeks trying to figure it out. But eventually, all passwords were discovered. Except for his.

"Finally!" He muttered as his desktop screen appeared, Kiku and Yao had apparently used the Internet the day before, but he never had asked how well it worked, if at all. He glanced up into the corner, waiting for the airport symbol to appear. It flashed onto the screen suddenly, and he grinned. Full bars.

"Nice!" He exclaimed. Although in a sense, Internet should have been a given. After all, if they were here as students, they were going to need to use the Internet eventually.

"I wonder how the Yankee's Red Socks game turned out." He wondered. Despite their move to Britain years before, Alfred still managed to keep up with baseball. It was, after all, his favorite sport. When he was younger, he'd always talked about playing in the major leagues. It had been something of a dream of his. There was nothing like going to a baseball game for Alfred. The salty smell of popcorn in the air, battling the tang of beer and hotdogs. Sitting on his fathers shoulders and watching the crowds around him, listening to the cheers that filled the stadium when the home team did well, and the jeers when the other team succeeded. Most of all, bringing his favorite glove in hopes of catching a foul ball.

He'd caught his first and only when he was seven, in the Yankee's stadium. It had landed perfectly in his glove, as if it had been hit for him to catch, and he treasured it like nothing else. From that day forward, he had been not just a fan of the Yankee's, but a die hard one, much to his Philadelphia loving father's dismay. He had always loved the name of that team. The Yankee's. It spoke of not only history, but of proud history, of their fight against Britain for independence. So he was oddly happy, when his nasty English teacher had called him a Yankee, because he was one. And there was nothing that made him feel more proud then remembering the history of his roots, even if history wasn't his best subject.

"Yes! Yankee's won!" He cried victoriously. "Man I wonder if dad knows. He's gonna be so pissed..." He blinked slowly, staring at the computer screen. Speaking of his parents, he should probably email them so they knew how he was doing. Abandoning his baseball endeavors, he opened his Gmail and began to formulate an apology in his head. Dear mom and dad, sorry I didn't call. We were so busy I just forgot.

"I'm sure they won't be to worried." He laughed. "I've only been gone for like, two days. It's not such a big...deal." He breathed, staring at his screen. His inbox was filled. To the brim. With mail. All of it, from his parents. Well, more specifically, his mother.

"Dear god Mom." He groaned, working his way through the stack of messages. "I'm not dead!" Each message had a progressively worried tone to it, asking him how he was, where they were, why he hadn't messaged them or called or even picked up his phone.

I'm fine. He typed back. It's just been really busy and there's no cell service up here. I'll call you when I find a phone that works. Please don't freak out. I'm fine I promise. -Love Alfred

"There," he sighed, falling back on his pillow. His parents worried way to much about him. Seriously, he was 14; he could take care of himself. He rolled out of bed and sat cross-legged on the floor, rooting through his backpack. "I wonder if I've gotten any other text messages."

As he pulled his phone out of his pack, his eyes caught something colorful in the monochrome white of the sheets. Well, not his sheets. He frowned and set his phone down on the floor as he pushed himself to his feet. What was that on Arthur's bed? It didn't look like a book. Glancing over at the door, he crept over to the other side of the room and pulled the strip of color out from where it was peaking from under his pillow. A picture? Why did he keep a picture under his pillow?

He cocked his head and studied it curiously. Was this Arthur's family? They sat around a couch, all 7 of them, smiling brightly. His eyes were drawn instantly to the boy sitting between his parents, eyes alit, and holding a smaller boy in his lap. Was that..? Arthur? It had to be. Same emerald green eyes, same ridiculous eyebrows and dirty blonde hair. He couldn't have been more then nine years old. His eye's sparkled innocently, but still held the same intensity that they had now, the deep green contrasting his pale white skin. He was, admittedly, stunning for a little kid. He could have been a model when he was younger.

But something was different about this Arthur. He didn't have his studs in this picture. Could that have been it? For some reason, Alfred didn't feel like that was right. Something. Something... His blood ran cold at the sound of an almost inaudible click. The door. Shoving the picture back under the pillow, he stumbled to the other side of the room, falling on his face just as the door opened.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Gritting his teeth, he peeled his face off the floor and inched towards the side of his bed. "Laying on the floor obviously." He replied, rolling his eyes as if it was obvious. Thank god. He thought. Thank god he didn't catch me. He suppressed a shudder at the thought of the demonic blonde walking in on him at that moment. He would have torn him to shreds.

"Well do it somewhere else." Arthur snapped, storming over to his bed. "I'm going to sleep."

"It's three in the afternoon."

"What's it to you? I can sleep if I want. I don't have to ask you for permission."

Alfred snorted and shook his head. "Whatever, I'm leaving."

"Please do." Arthur muttered. "It would be much appreciated."

"Well in that case I'm staying!"

Arthur threw him an exasperated glare from across the room. "Do you just enjoy being contrary?"

"Maybe I do." He snapped, plopping back down onto his bed. "It's not any of your business."

"It is if you're going to be contrary towards ME."

"Just go to sleep." Alfred shot. "I'm just on my computer, I'm not going to bother you."

"Whatever." Arthur muttered, rolling over under his sheets. Alfred glanced at the curled up blonde, eyes fixing on his pillow. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to his screen. It wasn't any of his business. I should check face book or something. He thought. Or maybe I should check updates on the next halo game. Or...

"Would you stop typing?" Arthur yelled suddenly. "Honestly, can't you go somewhere else to do that?"

"Sure I can, but what better place then here?" Alfred replied.

"Bugger off."

"Make me."

"Gladly." Arthur snarled, leaping up in bed. Alfred tensed, swiveling his feet over the side. Were they going to fight again? He wasn't sure his arm could take much more of this. His ears pricked and he frowned, glancing at the ceiling.

"Are you ignoring me?" Arthur snapped, drawing his attention back to the immediate threat now standing only a foot from him.

"Well normally I would say yes." He replied calmly. "But actually... I think I heard something in the house."

"Yea, well other people live here you moron. I wouldn't be surprised."

"But isn't everyone supposed to be outside working?"

"Maybe someone came in to get something."

He furrowed his brow and pushed himself hesitantly out of bed. "No I don't think so. I'm gonna go check it out."

"Be my guest." Arthur muttered, crossing his arms. And suddenly, there it was again. A loud, pronounced thumping coming from upstairs. He watched Arthur stiffen beside him, and tossed him a look that Alfred assumed meant that he'd heard it too.

"Actually, I changed my mind." He laughed nervously, backing towards his bed. "Whoever it is I'm sure everything's fine."

"You're not scared are you?" Arthur teased cruelly.

"Of course not!" He snapped half-heartedly. "It's just I don't really like ghosts..."

Arthur rolled his eyes and tsked. "You git, there's no such thing as ghosts."

"How do you know? Did the ghosts tell you that?"

"You're being ridiculous."

"Well if your not scared, why don't you go up on your own?" He chided.

"Because that would be boring."

Alfred blinked in surprise, staring t the smaller boy incredulously "Your not seriously telling me you'd miss my company are you?"

"Of course not." Arthur responded, crinkling his nose in disgust. "But if you're going to act like this the whole time..." He trailed off, smirking mischievously at him. " I dare say it's worth it to waste my time walking around and looking for something that's not there."

"Shut up!" Alfred snapped. "Ghost's do exist! And there's nothing you can do to get me to go up there!" Turning his head away, he sat back down on the bed and crossed his arms.

Arthur quirked his eyebrow inquisitively and slid towards Alfred's bed. "Really now." He breathed, placing his hands on either side of him. "I don't think I believe that."

Alfred paled, instantly uncomfortable with their closeness. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?" He stammered, inching away from the Briton. "Don't get so close. What the fuck man?"

"Well you said there was nothing that could get you to go upstairs." Arthur persisted. "I think you're lying. I think..." He slid his hand up his arm, causing Alfred to shudder. "If you're pushed far enough..." He brushed his thumb slowly across Alfred's bottom lip and smirked. "You'll do anything."

"Don't. Touch. Me." Alfred snarled, refusing to make eye contact with the all to close Briton. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you gay or something man?" He hissed, pushing the other boy off of him.

Arthur frowned, taking a fistful of Alfred's hair and pulling him close to him again. "No. But you're close." He breathed into his face. Alfred blinked slowly at him, ignoring the fact that their lips were inches apart, processing what he'd said.

"So... wait... you're... bi?"

"That is correct, in a sense." He replied smoothly, releasing his hair and pulling away from him. "But I'm not really. I don't have a problem with touching guys, but I won't date them, and sex is pushing it. Of course with girls it's all fine. So really, I'm heterosexual. It just doesn't bother me to mess around with other boys, so to keep people from asking what I'm talking about every time I explain it, I just say I'm bi."

Alfred's face burned red, and he forced himself shakily to his feet. "Is that so...?" He muttered, looking away. Why the hell was he dumping all that on him? Just to make him uncomfortable? His poking and prodding already did a well enough job of that. Although that did explain why the other boy wasn't so disgusted at being close to him. Which suddenly, Alfred realized, he was using as a helluva advantage.

"That's all well and good, but that doesn't mean you can just go and use that half bi whatever thing as an advantage to make me uncomfortable." He spat. "Next time you do something like that, I'll knock your head off."

"Dually noted." Arthur replied uncaringly. How can he be so calm about it? Alfred fumed inwardly. His body still prickled uncomfortably from where Arthur had touched him, and if that wasn't bad enough, he seriously felt the urge to rub soap over his mouth. It wasn't the 'ok with touching guys thing, that bothered him. He'd had gay friends back at their old school, and he'd never thought it right to discriminate anyone for stupid reasons like that. Besides, Arthur wasn't even bi, at least according to him. And for some reason, Alfred was inclined to believe him. It was more, that it was HIM. Not that he would have been completely ok with it if it had been someone else, but maybe he would have felt less disgusted and a little more willing to brush it off.

"Whatever." Alfred muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm still not going upstairs." The floor above them bumped suddenly again, as if whoever or whatever was up there had heard him and reacted.

"Don't be such a child!" Arthur pressed. "Just go upstairs with me."

"How about neither of us goes?"

"Because I can't go to sleep if there's a actually a ghost in the house!" Arthur's eyes widened, and he slapped his hand over his mouth as if trying to take the words back.

Alfred grinned smugly at him and crossed his arms. "So you do admit there are such thing as ghosts!"

"I said no such thing!" Arthur protested, turning his head away. Alfred stared at him curiously, despite himself. Was he embarrassed? Now that he thought about it, hadn't he seemed kind of nervous when they were in the woods before and he was putting his sweatshirt on? And then after he'd woken up, he could have sworn he'd seen pink on his cheeks. How could a guy like him, get embarrassed so easily? Alfred wondered. This was the boy who'd nearly broken his nose, and had given him shit for nearly every second of the two day's they'd spent together.

He shook his head inwardly. No way in hell. He must just have been seeing things. Only soft people blushed. Like Matthew, and Feli. And well, him on occasion. But only when he was uncomfortable or something. Not because he was embarrassed, or happy or anything else. That's what quiet people did. Not punks. And most definitely not Arthur.

"Any way." Arthur began, turning back to him. "It doesn't really matter does it? Ghost or not, there's nothing we can do about it."

"So why are you suggesting we go up there, with it?" Alfred shrieked. "Look can we drop the ghost thing?"

Arthur shrugged nonchalantly and narrowed his eyes. "Yea, whatever. Should have known you'd be to afraid."

"I am NOT to afraid." He spat. "It's just, not necessary. I'm sure you're right; it's just someone who came in to get something. So we should leave them be."

"Well then if you're not brave enough, I'll go by myself." Arthur announced, spinning on his heels toward the door.

"Ah hey! Wait!" Alfred called out after him nervously. There's no such thing as ghosts, there's no such thing as ghost's, there's no such thing as ghosts. He tried to assure himself. It wasn't working. "Arth- I mean hey hold on!" He yelled, running out the door after him. Geeze, any other time when I want the idiot gone, he shows up. And now when I need him as ghost bait, he just walks off! He swore inwardly. "Hey wait fo- ooor!" He cried, hitting something hard. He tumbled to the ground, catching himself on his hands and knees before the rest of him hit the ground. Unfortunately, the person beneath him wasn't so lucky.

"You git!" Arthur hissed, pushing on his chest. "Get off of me!" Alfred blinked down at him, assessing the situation. He shrugged, and instead of sitting up, grabbed Arthur's hands off his chest and held them over his head.

"What the hell!" Arthur spat, trying to kick him. "What are you doing? You sure YOU'RE not the one who's gay here?"

"I am not." He snarled. "But this, is payback." Arthur blanched, eyes wide.

"What do you think you're going to do?" He laughed nervously.

Alfred shrugged. To be honest, he hadn't really thought that all the way through.

"Come on let me up." Arthur insisted beneath him, trying to break himself free.

"I could punch you." Alfred stated coolly, pulling his free arm back. "It would do a lot more damage then I did to your nose, that's for sure."

"You bastard!" Arthur spat. "I hate you! You should just go die in a hole somewhere, you know that?"

"Look who's talking?" Alfred hissed back, narrowing his eyes furiously. "If it weren't for me, you would be dead in a hole."

"Would you stop harping on that?"

"Well it's true."

"Shut up! I wish you had left me down there. Then at least I wouldn't have to deal with you! I could have died in peace!" Arthur yelled.

Alfred felt his heart drop into his stomach. Wait what? Why on earth would he say something like that? How could he choose dying over getting rescued?

"Suicide is not an answer to anything."

"Idiot, who's suicidal?" Arthur hissed, kneeing him in the gut.

Alfred's face screwed up in pain, and he pulled away, relinquishing his grip on the other boy and falling back on the floor. "Well I just..." He panted, clutching his stomach. "Assumed since you said something like that."

"Well don't assume things then." Arthur snapped. "It's not your place to decide anything. Not about me, or anybody else."

"That's... probably a good rule to live by." He chuckled softly.

"Let me see your arm." Arthur said suddenly.

Alfred stared at him, cocking his head. "What?"

"Let me see your fucking arm!" Arthur demanded. "I'm speaking English aren't I?"

"Well fucked up English but English none the less." Alfred replied.

"I'm going to ignore that for now." Arthur muttered. "Now let me see it. We need to make sure it didn't start bleeding again."

"It's fine. I can feel it's still holding up." He insisted. Never the less, he held out his arm for Arthur to see. He tossed the other boy a curious look as he inspected his arm.

"If you hate me so much, why are you helping me?" He asked. " I mean, I was just threatening to punch you in the face..."

Arthur shrugged. "Because we're a team. So no matter how many times I punch you or kick you or arguing with you, or anything, in the end, I still have to help you. And the same goes for you. Because that's what successful teams do. They support each other. Like you did with me earlier. Or, when you lead everyone is decision making. That's, that's your job. To support the team in the best way you can. The point is that even if we hate each other, we have to help each other. Does that make sense?"

Alfred shrugged. "I guess... " He admitted. "Although aren't we getting along now?" Arthur answered him by tugging his bandage unbearably tight. "Yea." He winced. "Didn't think so."

"Classes start tomorrow." Arthur murmured suddenly. "And at this rate, we'll never get promoted to the international academy."

"You sound like Matty." He rolled his eyes. "We'll be fine. It's just the beginning of the year. By the end, I bet we're all good friends."

Arthur stared at him incredulously and shook his head. "If you say so."

O ~ O ~ O

For the next several hours, they managed to avoid each other as best as possible. Alfred stayed downstairs, and Arthur stayed up. They never did go to the third floor to discover what had been making the noise, but on his own, Alfred concluded it must have just been the wind. He hoped. Every so often (much to Matthew's displeasure) he'd poke his head outside and talk with Soren for a little while before getting shooed back inside. From what he could tell with the small glimpses he was getting, the emblem was turning out beautifully. Everyone was working hard on it, fighting the wind and the occasional rain to get it built, making Alfred wish all the more that he could have been out there helping them.

At around seven, as promised, they had their first meal as a group. Yao had cooked the majority of the food; as he'd done the least manual labor of the group of cooks, save for Feliciano. It was delicious, and Alfred wolfed it down as if he hadn't eaten for days. Because really, he hadn't. The house ate in quite chattering, friends sitting next to friends and enjoying each other's company in hushed tones.

Arthur sat at the opposite end of the table next to Francis, the two constantly between each other's ears, whispering back and forth. Surprisingly enough, Yao had chosen to not only it next to Kiku, but next to Ivan as well. Well, it may have been the other way around. Either way, Yao didn't seem to mind the Russians presence, and even if he did he wasn't intimidated by it, and every so often the two would strike up a quick conversation before Yao went back to talking with Kiku.

After dinner, the battered, beaten crew heaved themselves outside again and began to finish up their work on the emblem. Alfred sat in the living room by the fire, waiting for anyone to come in for a rest. Prior to their departure outdoors, Antonio had taught him how to make a good cup of tea, and so every once in a while, he would make a new cup to be ready and warm for the next freezing person to walk in. If he couldn't be outside working, the least he could do was help those who were. He gave them the tea, for which they were always grateful, and then he and whoever it was, would sit and talk by the fire for several minutes until they would finish their tea and go back outside again.

At about 9, Elizaveta got sent in permanently for fear that she was getting a cold. According to Gilbert, her coughing was bothering him, and he insisted that she go inside so that he could work in peace. Everyone else agreed that she sounded bad, so she was promptly pushed into the house and set under Alfred's care. After taking a hot shower and changing into her pajamas, she joined him down by the fire and they talked for a good while about this and that. When she suggested that they make cookies for the others still working, Alfred agreed, and they set to work in the kitchen. They came out wonderfully. Gooey, and soft and warm. Thanks to Elizaveta anyway. Had he been left to his own devices, Alfred would have burned the kitchen down.

Not long after, assumedly lured down by the smell of cookies, Arthur appeared at the foot of the stairs. He ignored Alfred, but said a kind hello to Elizaveta, and the two curled up next to the fire and talked while Alfred, wanting to keep as far away from Arthur as possible, cleaned up the kitchen. Finally, at around 10:30, the entire crew tromped into the house, cold, wet, weary, and all extremely appreciative of the tea and cookies. With half hearted 'good nights', they pulled themselves up the stairs and into their beds without so much as a second thought. When every last person was in their bed, Alfred finally departed from the living room. Flicking off the lights and giving a last, tired glance at the warm fire, he ascended up the stairs and fell into his bed. That night, Alfred F. Jones could not even bring himself to dream.

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:** There we go! As usual, up late Sunday night... sorry! I would have had it up earlier, but I met for like an hour and a half with a good friend in the middle of writing. She's moving to Nebraska in a week, and then Germany in a couple months on an exchange program, so we wanted to make sure just in case we don't get to see each other again for our busy schedules, that we got to say good bye :) Ahhhh moving haha xD

Aside from that. Holy crap my finals! *dies* I'm going to fail my chemistry exam. I swear. I swear, I do, I swear! *sobs* Oh well... OMG I'm sorry this is so short! Seriously It's such a short chapter, I'm ashamed… and there's so much in here I'm not proud of. I just really wanted to solidify about… Arthur in this chapter lol. Aka reason for the fail sexual tension scene XD Also I really wanted to kind of hint at the drastic difference between Alfred and his relationship with his family, who cares for him and worry's about him etc., vs Arthur's who… well we don't even know where there are, much less if their even alive. Xp

Also! If Arthur seems to be a bit... bipolar? That's ok XD remember how he said he hides behind false strength? He bounces in and out of that, which is what Alfred is seeing. he's seeing Arthur's walls deteriorating momentarily and his softer... well uke side coming out lol. so from Alfred's point of view, he is a very strange person indeed XD Gahh I'm not particularly happy with this chapter... *sigh* oh well I'll improve on the next one ^^

THANK YOU! :D


	12. Playtime and Promises

**A/N:** I'm so sorry this is late! Seriously! Blame my family XP And me… but more my family lol Short one today!

**Choco-Pocky-Usa-chan**: haha you are dead on with the prunhun hint my friend :D i'm glad someone caught it, because that was intentional. pshhh wanted her inside because her coughing was bothering him XD

O ~ O~ O

Arthur pushed himself out of bed with a loud yawn, surveying the empty room curiously. Where the bloody hell was that American git? He'd slept well, considering his sore throat and the various fluids dripping from his nose. The only time he'd woken up was at Alfred's insufferable snoring, but had quickly stuffed his pillow over his head and fallen back to sleep. He'd heard the boy creep into the room around twelve, teeth chattering, much to Arthur's surprise as the idiot had been sitting near a fire for several hours.

His ears pricked in interest at the sound of footsteps pounding down the hall from both directions, and muffled voices echoing through the house. What was going on out there?

"Guy's what's with all the noise?" He snapped, poking his head out the door.

"Arthur!" He leapt backwards into the room, tumbling onto his arse, as a familiar blue-eyed face suddenly appeared in front of his own.

"Dear god Francis! You gave me a fucking heart attack!" He snarled, rubbing his sore bottom. "What's going on?"

The French boy blinked slowly at him, giving him a look that suggested he believed the Briton to be quite daft. "Arthur, school starts today, remember? Everyone is rushing around getting ready. Actually, you're the last one up. I was just coming to get you."

"Fuck!" He swore, scrambling to his feet. "I completely forgot! Why didn't that wanker wake me up?"

"What, you mean Alfred?" Francis chuckled. "He said you looked like you were sleeping well and since you were sick, he didn't want to wake you."

"Like hell he did." Arthur growled, tugging his nightshirt off. "He just enjoys tormenting me."

"That's probably true, mon cher." Francis agreed. "Still, you were exhausted yesterday. So you can't hate him for letting you sleep."

"Of course I can." He snapped. "Wait, when are we getting uniforms?"

"Supposedly today." He replied, glancing down at his watch. "But school starts in only a little over an hour, so I wouldn't guarantee it."

"Wait, so then what's everyone doing?" He asked in confusion, holding the red shirt limply in his hands. "I heard all these voiced and people running up and down the halls."

"Eating breakfast downstairs." He replied nonchalantly. "They're pretty loud down there, so you can hear it from here. And Gilbert, Romano and Tino just woke up, so that's probably who you heard, besides me."

"Well you could have told me that!" he huffed, pulling his shirt back over his head. "Honestly, why do you always leave out the important stuff?"

"Well you didn't ask." Francis laughed, stepping out of his way as Arthur marched past him. "Anyway, I thought you didn't eat my cooking?"

"I don't." Arthur said blatantly. "But I also don't go to school on an empty stomach. So even if it's your crap, I'll eat it."

"Ahh angleterre that warms my heart!" Francis cooed.

"Don't call me that!" He grumbled, stumbling down the stairs. As they descended, the voices began to grow louder, and the sweet smell of warm fruits and pancakes wafted into his nose. Mmmmmm. He thought inwardly. He would never admit it, but as much as he resisted eating Francis's cooking, he had always admired the other boy's culinary ability and often wished he had such talent. It would have made living alone a lot easier.

"Arthur! Francis! Good morning!" Antonio greeted over the noise, waving them over. Arthur felt his heart surge in appreciation for the brunette's kindness. It was the people like him and Kiku that made living in the cramped cabin bearable. They squeezed past the mass of students, all sitting wherever they could in the all to small room. He nearly stepped on Berwald's feet as he pushed his way past the group sitting on the floor.

"Good morning Antonio." Francis replied in an equally friendly tone as they approached where he and Gilbert resided by the fireplace and sat next to them. "Do you like the food?"

"It's amazing!" Gilbert cried through hurried bites as he shoveled the strawberry crepe into his mouth. "Seriously man, you're freaking epic. Although not as awesome as me."

"It's good to see my cooking is appreciated." Francis chuckled.

"It is good." Antonio agreed. "But I won't let you one up me my friend. Just you watch, I'm going to cook the most amazing breakfast ever tomorrow."

"You're on." Francis challenged, shaking hands with the other boy. Arthur bit his lip uncertainly, suddenly feeling as if he didn't belong in the group. It was kind of Antonio to invite him over as well, but it was clear that the other two boys were there only to speak with Francis.

"Angleterre, why are you staring off into space like an idiot?" Francis asked, waving his hand in front of his face.

"I am not staring off into space like an idiot." Arthur snapped indignantly, shoving him. "I'm just thinking, that's all."

"While looking like an idiot." Gilbert put in.

"Oh shut up."

"Gil, don't be mean." Francis sighed. "Seriously Arthur, what's wrong? You really don't look so good. Do you still feel sick?"

Arthur shrugged, inwardly panicking. He couldn't say that it was because he felt out of place. But Francis would definitely keep pestering him about it until he gave him a satisfactory answer. "I'm uh, just hungry I guess." He replied awkwardly, instantly hating himself for saying it.

"Ha! I knew it! You do like my cooking!" Francis proclaimed smugly.

"I did not say that." Arthur bit out. "I just said I was hungry! Augh you're impossible." He pushed himself to his feet and stormed away, ignoring the muffled laughing coming from the trio. Bloody idiot. Some friend he was. Where were those stupid pastries anyway? Ah who cares? He hissed inwardly. Pushing past the group again, he started up the stairs.

"Arthur." He jumped at Francis's voice suddenly at his side.

"What do you want?" He muttered, shrugging the other boy's hand off his shoulder.

"Sorry about them." He laughed. "Really, I am. They're just... an interesting pair."

"Yea well you three make an interesting trio." Arthur replied stiffly. "So why don't you hang out with them?"

"Hey, that hurts." Francis smiled, holding his heart as if he were genuinely wounded. "Come on, you're not actually jealous of Gilbert and Antonio are you?"

"Who said I was?" Arthur murmured half heartedly, turning away. "It's just, I mean, I thought we were best friends? It kind of hurts to be replaced so easily, to be honest."

"Who's replacing you?" Francis smiled, throwing his arm around his shoulder. "Sure, I think Gilbert and Antonio are fun to hang out with, and I wouldn't mind being friends with them, but you're my best friend Arthur. And you always will be. So don't worry about stuff like that ok? Besides, I don't think it would be so bad for you to make some new friends of your own. That is if you're still trying to change and all..."

"Of course I am." He muttered, rolling his eyes. "I thought that would have been obvious."

"Well then make more of an effort." Francis teased, slipping his arm off his shoulders and shaking his head. "Seriously you really could be trying harder."

"Oh who asked you?" Arthur snapped, letting a small smile flit onto his face. "I'm trying ok? Go ahead back, I need to take a shower anyway. I'm still disgusting from yesterday."

"Alright." Francis nodded patting him on the back. "I'll come get you if something happens. Like if Ludwig calls yet another meeting, or the uniforms show up, god forbid."

Arthur snickered into the palm of his hand. "You know, for such an uptight school, their not so good with directions are they?"

"Clearly." Francis sighed. "It's irritating. Now get going. Before everyone else decides they need a shower too."

"Right." He agreed. "Ah, can you save one of those things for me?"

Francis raised an eyebrow; a smug smile working it's way onto his face. "Of course. If you are sure it won't kill you to eat my cooking."

"I wish it would." Arthur chuckled. "It would get HIM too."

"You really need a hobby."

"Shut up." He laughed. Waving a quick goodbye, he jogged up the stairs, heart light again. Francis was right. He was just overreacting. Besides, it wasn't like Francis got upset about him talking with Kiku so much. So he shouldn't feel jealous over those two. Who knows? He thought. Maybe we'll be friends too. As he worked his way up the stairs, he paused at their floor, glancing around the corner at his room. It wouldn't hurt to grab a pair of clean clothes, just in case they ended up not getting uniforms. Humming quietly to himself, he rounded the corner, and for probably the 10th time since he had moved into the bloody cabin, bumped into someone. Hard.

"Ow!" He whined, stepping back and rubbing his still tender nose. "What the hell?"

"What are you doing up here?"

His blood froze; eye's shifting cautiously upward and meeting Alfred's face. The taller blonde was scowling unsettlingly at him, not that that was anything new. "That's none of your business is it?" He replied coldly, attempting to push past him. To his surprise, Alfred stepped firmly in front of him, blocking his path.

"What, are you doing?" He growled.

"We need to talk." He replied bluntly. Arthur blinked at him in confusion, trying to force words out of his throat but finding it near impossible.

"We- you- what?" He sputtered, staring at him wide eyed.

"We. Need. To. Talk." He said again, putting emphasis on each word as if speaking to a child.

"I heard what you said." Arthur snapped. "But what the hell do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said." He responded in monotone. "I don't really want to do this either but it's necessary."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He laughed nervously, taking a step backward. Was he daft? Was it the cold getting to him? Maybe he'd lost a lot more blood then they had originally thought...

"Look." Alfred sighed suddenly, rubbing the back of his head and looking away. "It's not so much about either of us, it's... it's Matty."

Arthur raised his eyebrows in relief, and surprise at the mention of the American's quiet friend. "And what, pray tell, do you want to discuss with ME of all people, about him?"

"Francis." He replied stiffly. Arthur narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"What about him?" He asked, feigning ignorance. He knew exactly what the boy wanted to discuss regarding Francis and Matthew.

"You know what." He snapped. "Tell him to back off. I don't know what his issue is, but it's making Matthew miserable. Even if he say's he's ok, I can tell he's not ok? He... he's not really the type of person who show's when he's uncomfortable or upset. He's to nice for that..." He trailed off, letting out a dry sigh. "But even if you or Francis or anyone else in this house can't tell he's not happy, it doesn't matter because I can." He began more forcefully.

"What's your point?" Arthur responded coolly. "What Francis does hasn't got anything to do with me."

"Screw that! Of course it does!" Alfred hissed. "You two are friends, aren't you?"

"Sure we are. But I don't tell him what to do."

"Well start doing it." Alfred snarled. "Because if you don't, I will. And I think you'll find his pretty boy face stays in better shape if you do the honors."

"What's the supposed to mean?" He asked dangerously. "Don't threaten my friends Jones."

"Then keep yours away from mine Kirkland."

They glared vehemently at each other for a moment, before both turned away. This is ridiculous! He's asking the impossible. Arthur thought inwardly. I don't tell Francis what to do. And what's more, even if I told him to leave Matthew alone, he probably wouldn't. And image of the Canadians kind face flashed in his mind and he winced. He hated to think that Francis was actually starting to bother him though. Maybe he could...

"Forget it." Alfred muttered. "Never mind. I should have known asking YOU would be a waste of my time. You're completely-"

"Now hold on a second." Arthur cut in defensively. "I told you I don't tell him what to do. I didn't say I wouldn't try."

"See that's just what I'd expect from... huh?" Alfred stared at him in shock, jaw slack in astonishment. "Wait what did you say?"

"I'll talk to him." Arthur said begrudgingly. "I can't guarantee he'll stop, but I can get him to at least tone it down. Whatever IT is that he's doing..."

Alfred stared intently at him, looking him up and down as if he was trying to decide if Arthur was the same person. Stop staring you idiot. He seethed inwardly. It's unnerving. Honestly, did he really think that little of him? Well I shouldn't be surprised. It's not like I think that highly of him either. He reasoned.

"Are you serious man?"

"Of course I am." Arthur huffed. "Do you think I would say I could do something and then not do it? Please. I am a gentlemen."

Alfred tsked and rolled his eyes. "Yea that's what you are..."

"I could not help you." He offered.

"No no," Alfred protested weakly. "Please. Just talk to him."

"And what do I get in return?"

"What do you...?" He trailed off, staring at him. "What do you get?"

"Well I'm not doing it for free."

"That's bull! Come on just do it!"

"Or I could charge extra just because it's YOU." Arthur suggested coolly.

"Fine I'll give you whatever you want ok!" Alfred agreed, throwing his hands up in defeat.

"Then we have a deal."

"Yea..." Alfred sighed, sticking out his hand. "A deal. But if nothing changes you don't get anything from me!"

"I can agree to that." Arthur nodded, taking his hand firmly. They stood for a moment, eyes locked and hands clasped over the other. It was if they were goading each other to let go first. Why wasn't he letting go? Just the day before, he'd been disgusted with the idea of even touching the American. And now he was shaking hands with him?

"Hey Arthur, the unif- ohhh am I interrupting something?"

Arthur stiffened, eye's growing wide as he yanked his hand away quickly in embarrassment. What the hell? And what was Francis doing upstairs anyway?

"Of course not." Alfred replied stiffly. "We were just done." Without a second glance, the American slipped past them and disappeared down the stairs from where Francis had arrived.

When he was clearly gone, Francis shot him a look and whistled loudly. "What was going on there?" He teased. Despite his joking voice however, Arthur could hear the curiosity looming in his tone. He really DID want to know what had happened.

"Nothing." Arthur replied tersely. "He just wanted to talk."

"About what?" Francis grinned suggestively, nudging Arthur with his elbow.

"Don't you DARE even go there."

"Sorry." Francis laughed. "I was just joking with you, I swear to it. Anyway, good news, we actually have uniforms. There's a woman downstairs with a box full."

"Goodness, I thought they were going to keep us on edge until school started." Arthur sighed as they started down the stairs.

"Good of you boy's to join us."

Arthur jumped in surprise as they rounded the corner into the living room. There, just in front of the opened front door, stood an older woman with boxes in hand. She looked strict, pointed nose and glasses enhancing her sharp brown eyes and making them gleam all the more disapprovingly.

"Sorry." Francis offered. "He was going to take a shower."

"So soon before school starts? I don't know if that is such a brilliant idea young man." Setting down the boxes, she pushed her glasses up off the tip of her nose and frowned.

"Now then. I am Ms. Pecket, you're counselor for the year. I will be overlooking your stay here, as well as more specifically, assisting the young lady who is residing in this cabin."

"Wait what?" Arthur, and several other members of the room cried out.

"Sorry, but I'm not sure I heard you right ma'am." Alfred called over the hushed whispers. "Did you just say that you're our counselor?"

She nodded. "That is correct."

"But... What about Laura?" he asked curiously. "Where is she?"

Ms Pecket looked at him in surprise, cocking her head as if trying to make sense of what he'd said. "Did she not tell you about me?" Alfred shook his head, cowlick swaying back and forth with the movement.

"Well then." She sighed. "I see it's a good thing that she is no longer needed, if she couldn't even bother to inform you of that much. Back to business. Here," She said, holding out the box, "are your uniforms. They have your names on the inside tags so as to not get them mixed up with any one else's. You were give five sets, one for each day of the week, as well as a PE uniform that you will be required to carry with you at all times. You do not have to bring your bags with you, you will be provided with bags in your homeroom class. Everything else will be explained when we get there. At this point, your emblem should be ready, is that correct?"

"Yup!" Feliciano chirped. " Ve It's ready! Do you want me to give it to you?"

"That would be helpful, yes." She replied tightly. "Your arm bands with this design will be finished by the end of the week. We will only make you one, so do not lose them." She instructed. "Now all of you, pick up your uniforms and get changed. I expect to see you down here is no more then five minutes."

O ~ O ~ O

Alfred rubbed the smooth silken fabric of the new white dress shirt through his hands, examining it closely. Ugh, a button up. He really hated anything that you couldn't just pull over your head. Aside from the shirt, they were given a dark blue blazer jacket, along with a pair of blue plaid pants and a black tie. Oh joy. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd worn a tie, much less the last time he'd actually had to tie one. "Hey Matty, will you give me a hand tying this" He asked the small Canadian on the other side of the room. Somehow, he'd managed to get Francis to change in his room with Arthur, and was now currently occupying the French boy's bed. He hoped that Arthur would take the opportunity to talk to his neurotic friend about what he'd mentioned.

"You really don't remember how to tie a tie?" Matthew asked incredulously, fiddling with the last button on his shirt as he tried to get it in. "How old are you Alfred?"

"Come on Matty!" He whined, rolling over on the bed. "I'm no good at that sort of stuff and you know it!"

"Yea yea alright." Matthew chuckled. "But you know, you have to put the rest of it on first."

"Ok fine." He sighed in exasperation. Yanking off his nightshirt, he pulled his arms through the sleeves of the button up and examined the fit. It didn't feel to bad on his arms, actually. The sleeves were just the right length and fit for him. "Yay buttons." He grumbled, playing with the collar of the shirt.

"Start from the bottom Alfred." Matthew suggested, already dealing with his own tie. "It's a lot easier that way." He shrugged, but took his friends advice and started up from the bottom. He really was no good at these sorts of things. His hands were to big to deal with the tiny buttons, he could never figure out how ties worked, and he couldn't stand fancy jackets. They always made him feel constrained.

As he fumbled with the last button, he paused suddenly, running his hand over his chest and tugging at the fabric. Now that was odd. It felt a little loose. But how could it be lose if they'd gotten exact measurements? Oh well. He shrugged inwardly. At least he had some breathing room now.

"Now can you help me with the tie?" he asked Matthew as the other boy slipped his blue blazer on.

"Sure. But you have to promise me you'll pay attention this time. I'm not going to do it again for you, ok?" He warned. Alfred nodded and held out his tie to him.

"Ok look. Start by wrapping it around your collar. Then you have to loop this here, pull this around here, tug on this here, and then once you've done that, just pull this back around here and there you have it." Matthew smiled, staring proudly at his work. "Do you get it now?"

"Yea of course." Alfred laughed nervously. "Easy."

"You don't get it at all, do you?" Matthew sighed, shaking his head.

"Nope!"

"Thought not."

"Hey, Matty?" He asked. "What do you think happened to Laura? Do you think they fired her?"

Matthew shrugged. "I don't know. It's a shame though. she was really nice, wasn't she?"

"Hey are you two ready?" Soren called from the other side of the door.

"I am." Matthew called. "Just give me a second." Turning back to Alfred, he gave the tie a final tug and shook his head. "Look, just make sure the jacket isn't inside out, and that you put a belt on your pants ok? We'll be downstairs waiting for you."

"You're not gonna stay?" He pouted, tugging on his friends arm. Matthew laughed and shook him off.

"Not this time. Just hurry up and get ready, ok?"

"Seriously, you guys take forever." Soren's voice cut in as the door opened.

"I'm coming!" Matthew put in. "And I do not take forever."

"See you downstairs Al." Soren called as they stepped out the door. Alfred watched as his friends disappeared from sight, all the while listening to them as their arguing voices faded down the hall.

"I gotta get ready." He muttered, tugging on his blazer. He glanced at the buttons on the jacket and shook his head. No way in hell was he buttoning this up too. Yanking his belt through his pant loops, he latched it quickly and pulled his shoes on, glancing at his watch. He really hated to be left behind. It was so boring being alone. Rummaging through Matthew's bag, he pulled out a brush (he knew that he had to have one in there some where) and ran it through his hair before tossing it down on the bed. How's that for slow. He thought. Ok so Matthew had done his tie for him, and buttoning his shirt had take longer then it should have but he had still gotten dressed pretty fast! For him anyway. Flicking off the lights, he dashed out the door and down the stairs.

O ~ O ~ O

"It's about a ten minute walk to the school from here." Ms Pecket informed them as they trudged down yet another stone path. The sky was clearer then it had been the day before; patches of blue visible through the gloom, although even in the distance, one could see dark clouds looming overhead.

"School starts at 8:30 everyday, meaning as of now, you all have 20 minutes until classes start. At the front of the school, there is a list of homeroom assignments that you will check to find your first period. There, your teacher will give you you're full schedules. Classes are not assigned by grade level. This means that you may have a class with sophomores, or other upper classman. However, I can assure you that the majority of our freshmen are taking only 9th grade classes, and even those who have been assigned to higher-level classes are only in one or two of them. You have been assigned two fine arts credits, as well as a PE class. If you would like to have these changed, then you must write a paper as to why you feel you should be allowed this class change."

"Damn." Gilbert muttered from the back of the group. Alfred felt compelled to agree with him. Was it really fair to assign kids to classes they didn't want to take?

"This year, we have 84 incoming freshman. Overall, there are 24 teams, four of which are new, like yours."

"New?" Tino inquired.

"Yes." She replied. "You see, not all houses are sent to the international academy for the rest of their high school career. In that case, at the end of their time here, the seniors will graduate, and the groups will either be left with the remaining members, or empty. If a group has remaining members in it, they will more often then not request to take in a group of incoming students in order to boost their numbers, although it is not required to fill in empty spots. There are a good group of freshman, as well as incoming upper classman, that were placed into these other groups to replace lost members. Your group is one that is completely new, like three others. There is only one full replacement group this year."

"R'plac'ment gr'p?

Stifling her obvious surprise at Berwald's heavy accent, she nodded. "Yes, a replacement group is a new incoming group that replaces a group that was sent off to international academy. Everyone in the group is new, but they are not required to think of a team name or emblem, as they have been given the one of the previous group. This does not hold true to teams that have simply graduated away. Once a teams members have all graduated and there are no members left, the house name and emblem is placed on the wall of our history, and the cabin is abandoned in their memory."

"Who graduated last year? I mean, what group was it?" Elizaveta asked.

"The Script house." She replied. "They are the oldest house in the history of the school. There has not once been a year that the students in that house were not sent to international. That is why the name has lived on for so long."

"Woah." Soren muttered.

"Indeed." She said, stopping suddenly and turning to them. "Now, the path ends here, and the school is just at the bottom of the hill around the corner. Don't forget, your homeroom assignments are on the board by the front. Please do get to class on time. And if you have any questions about where you are going, ask your homeroom teacher or any of the other students."

"More hills?" Romano huffed. "That's ridiculous."

A wry smile worked its way onto her face and she shook her head. "I don't think you'll mind this one as much. Now run along. I have to meet up with another counselor near the cabins so I'll be going back." Without another word, she gave them a small nod, and turned down the path.

"The hell does that mean, we won't mind this hill?" Romano muttered.

"I guess we will have to find out, won't we?" Ivan put it. Romano eyed him warily, but said nothing, merely shrugging and turning away.

"Well come on let's go." Alfred insisted. "Don't you guy's want to see it?"

"Of course we do you twat." Arthur snapped. "Let's go then."

Glancing at each other, they all rounded the corner, and stared down a grassy hill at the school. If it could be called that.

"Holy crap." Alfred murmured. "That is most definitely not a school."

The building in question was more like a castle then any school he'd ever seen. Spindle structures stretched off of the roofs, connected to other towers by what looked to be stone bridges. And that wasn't even the half of it. There were separate buildings, jutting off of the structure, even ones that looked as if they connected to the mountain itself. It was as tall as it was wide, and wide as it was long. To put it simply, it was, as Gilbert would have said, awesome.

The castle itself, lay just past the bottom of the long grassy hill that they were standing atop, pushed against the side of a looming mountain range that trailed off in the distance as it hit the forest. On the left side of the building, lay an enormous lake, which stretched on so far that Alfred wasn't sure he could even see the other side.

"Incredible." Antonio breathed beside him.

"No kidding." Tino agreed. "Do you guy's see that thing? How the heck did we miss this?"

"It's much nicer then the ones in my home." Ivan admitted.

"Of course it is." Arthur grinned, annoyingly smug. "This is a British castle after all."

"Oh and that makes it special?" Alfred grumbled quietly.

"Actually," Arthur shot back, glaring at him, "it does."

"Would you two knock it off?" Ludwig snapped. "It is... admittedly, amazing. But right now, we have to worry about getting to class, don't we?"

"Ludwig-s... I mean Ludwig is right." Kiku agreed, tugging nervously at his black tie. "We should really get going."

"Yea, alright." He sighed. "But only if you race me down the hill!"

"W-what?" Kiku cried in confusion, staring at him. "Race down the hill? Why would we do that?"

"Because it's fun." Alfred laughed, tugging on his arm. "Come on! If I win, you have to teach me how you draw so well! If you win... well we'll figure that out later."

"Alright it's on!" Soren grinned. "I'm so going to beat you."

"Yea right!" Alfred yelled, snatching his friend's arm as he started down the hill. "No head starts!"

"Yea well, I get one, cause I'm awesome!" Gilbert smirked, sprinting past them.

"Hey not you too!" Soren called, snatching his wrist.

"Agh hey don't do that!" Gilbert yelled, tugging on his wrist.

"How about you all go down together and tie?" Antonio laughed.

"Don't you dare!" Alfred warned. Shrugging, Antonio shoved Alfred's chest, hard. With no hands to catch himself, he fell backward, pulling Kiku, Soren and Gilbert down with him as he tumbled down the hill.

"Hey no fair you bastard!" He sputtered into the grass as he rolled, yanking his hand off of Kiku's arm in order to stop himself. "How would you like it if I pulled you down?"

"I'd like to see you try." Antonio chided.

"He doesn't have to."

With a gasp of surprise, Antonio stumbled forward, tripping down the hill at the forceful shove from behind and falling near Alfred.

"Oww Roma that hurt!" He whined.

"Don't call me that!" Romano yelled furiously.

"Got you!" Alfred grinned, jumping at the other boy and pulling him down. Before long, they were all fighting to get to the bottom of the hill, pushing and shoving each other as they went. Even Ludwig was trying to get down before his older brother, who was unwisely teasing him about how he'd never beat him.

Alfred rolled onto his side and laughed as Soren took a good lunge at him, missing by a mere couple of inches. "Come on you're going to have to do better then that!" He teased, jumping to his feet. It was like some sort of dream. All of them running around the hillside, laughing and smiling. Like the last two day's had never happened.

He felt his arms caught from behind and stiffened. "Crap! I'm caught!" He cried.

"Nice going Ivan." Soren praised, standing up to give the taller boy a hand at holding on to Alfred.

"Hey no double teaming! That's cheating!" Alfred whined, trying to shake himself out of Ivan's grip.

"Not in Russia it's not."

"We're not in Russia!"

"Should we throw him down the hill, or drag him back to the top?" Soren asked, glancing at Ivan.

"Neither! Neither neither neither!" Alfred protested. "Come on man. You're supposed to be my friend!"

"Well we never did get to that rematch on the video game" Soren chuckled. "I figured I'll beat you again here and you'll finally surrender.

"Guy's!" Berwald's voice suddenly bounced around the hillside, drawing the group to a quiet. "D'd you h're that?" They were all silent, pricking their ears to catch the noise that Berwald had spoken of.

Alfred's eye's widened in horror, and he shook himself out of Ivan's limp grasp.

"Shit! That was the bell!" He cursed. "How the hell did you hear that? Never mind, we have to go!" Throwing awkward glances at each other, they stumbled down the hill and raced toward castle as fast as their legs could carry them.

O ~ O ~ O

"Sorry we're late!" Alfred panted, bursting into his classroom.

After they'd finally made it to down to the school (it was way further then it had looked) it had been a quick look at their home room assignments and off to class. Or so he'd like to have said. Actually, they'd stood and argued about room assignments for a good five minutes, and then there was the problem of actually finding the stupid classroom. Which hadn't been a picnic either, considering who he was stuck with. It had taken them a good ten minutes to figure out which side of the school they were supposed to be on, and then a good ten more just to find the classroom. Thing was a freaking labyrinth.

"Ah, look's like you've finally decided to join us."

"We're really sorry!" Alfred muttered, embarrassed. "We got out uniforms late, and then we got lost, and..."

"It's alright."

Alfred looked up in surprise, staring at their teacher. He was a short balding mad, with small round spectacles that sat on the end of his nose and gentle brown eyes. In his hand, he held a rulebook that he placed tentatively on the desk in front of him. He smiled warmly at the two of them and laughed.

"Yes, Mr. Jones, it's alright." He responded in a thick Irish accent. "This school really is a hassle to get around, isn't it? I'm surprised you managed to find my room so quickly. Some first years take a week just to figure out where it is!" He chuckled. "Now why don't you two sit down in the back? We were just about to have the class leader speak."

"Thank you sir." Arthur responded gratefully, nodding his head.

"Yea, thanks." Alfred echoed, forcing himself not to scowl at the green eyed Briton. Suck up. "But if you don't mind me asking, how the heck did you know my last name? I mean, there are two of us."

"Oh that wasn't hard." He laughed, eyes crinkling. "I was told I would be getting an American student in my homeroom this year. And you quite obviously do not speak with an English accent."

"Ahahaha." He laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess I should have figured that. Thanks, Mr..."

"Lewis." He finished. "And you must be Arthur Kirkland." He said, turning to the other boy. "It's a pleasure to meet you my boy."

"The pleasure is all mine." Arthur replied, flashing him a bright smile. Yup. Definitely a suck up.

"Good good. Now, would our class leader please give us the announcements for the day?" He asked as they shuffled to their seats.

"Of course sir!" A bright voice responded. Alfred froze midway between pulling his chair out, and shot Arthur a glance. The British boy's eyes were wide in surprise, drawing Alfred to the conclusion that he was thinking the same thing. But that was impossible. Right? Spinning around on his heel, his eye's flitted over the room as he searched for the owner of the voice. He didn't have to look far. There, on the other end of the room, stood an all to familiar looking girl with bright green eyes and a wide smile.

"Laura?"

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:** Muahahaaaaaa XD I have nothing left to say lol. Except thank you for teh reviews! seriously my Authors note's this week lol. Oh! but if anyone is confused about the whole cabin process thing, fell free to ask and I'll explain it again XD


	13. Stairs and Schedules

**A/N**: YAY! Got it done :D And as it's my Birthday today, I demand each and every one of you reviews! Lol kidding, I love you guy's :P Anyway! I'm glad to have finished this (although some how it still came out short even though this morning I had 12 pages done... ) it's not very exciting though, I gotta warn you XD I'm not going to go through every class or anything (cause that's WAY to tedious) but you will see lunch because that's important lol. Not much to say, except thank you as usual for all the reviews! And I've decided (as I Finally got Final cut 3) when I get to 250 reviews, I'll make something special for you guy's :3 I don't normally like stuff like that, but I think you guy's deserve it, and I'd really love to make a video pertaining to this fic haha XD Hope you enjoy the chapter! :D

Onward!

O ~ O ~ O

Alfred stared, stone struck, at the cheery blonde standing at the other edge of the room. Was it really Laura? It couldn't be. It wasn't possible. Laura wasn't a student!

"Today, we're discussing last weeks team challenge." The girl who looked like Laura chirped, picking a paper up off her desk.

"Particularly, what the freshman thought of their first challenge of the year. But first, I'd like to make the announcements for the week, if that's alright Mr. Lewis." Their teacher nodded encouragingly and she continued.

"The Brokebeck house is leading this week-" cheers from a couple of the students cut her off, and Alfred watched as a trio not far from where they sat stood up and high fived each other. The girl smiled and waited for them to cease their celebrating before turning back to paper. "And we congratulate them for their victory in last weeks challenge. In second is Ensenzia, and third, the Republic house. Well done to all of our teams."

The students clapped, some more enthusiastically then others, until she held up her hand for silence. "In other news, the academy is proud to welcome four new teams this year. One of which, has replaced the former Script team. The other three are completely new additions to the academy, and it is the headmaster's hope that we welcome these new teams with open arms. If there are any members of these four teams in the room, please stand."

Alfred flicked his gaze over to Arthur, who was looking at Laura as if she had just turned into an alien. "We're new.' He declared, pushing himself out of his desk and signaling for Arthur to do the same. The Briton jumped quickly to his feet, emerald eyes wide as if he'd just been snapped out of a daze. Laura gave them a warm smile and nodded.

"Thank you, Alfred and Arthur. Does anyone have any questions for the two newbie's?"

Newbie's? Alfred felt his mouth twitch down into a frown at the derogative term. Ok so they were newbie's, but she didn't need to make it more obvious then it already was!

"What's you're team name?" A brunette boy piped up. "I mean, assuming you two are on the same team. Are you in the Script house?"

"No we're-"

"No." Arthur cut him off. "We are not part of the Script house. We're one of the new groups."

"Cool!" One of the girls exclaimed. The room murmured in agreement and Alfred felt the blood rush to his cheeks. Was being a new team such a big deal?

"So, what's your name?" The same boy asked again. "You guy's don't have your emblems yet so it's the only way to distinguish between teams until you get them."

"Oh that." Alfred laughed, speaking up before Arthur had a chance. "Our house name is Imperaturi."

"Ahhh that's Latin is it not?" Mr. Lewis smiled. "I took Latin in college. Although don't believe that I know that word."

"One of our cabin mates is Italian. Well actually two of them are, and their grandfather taught them some Latin so they came up with it. Translating it to Latin I mean. The name was a group idea." Alfred replied, mind flashing to Feliciano and Romano. The taller brother hadn't really lent a hand in the naming, but it would have made Romano happy to know he was being included with his brother.

"Seriously?" A girl with ebony hair gaped. "You have two Italian kids in your cabin? How did you all manage to get so many foreigners?"

"Oh that's not the half of it." Alfred laughed proudly. "We have two Italians, an American, that's me, two Germans, a Canadian, a Dane, a kid from Norway, another one from Sweden, one from Finland, and then there's a guy from France, a Spaniard, a Russian, a Chinese kid, another boy from Japan, a girl from Hungary, a guy from Austria, and then this guy," He said, jabbing his finger towards Arthur. "Who's a Brit. He's the only one in our group. Basically, we're all foreigners."

"That's awesome!" One of the students cried. "What are you guy's, the international team or something?"

"Exactly." Arthur breathed from beside him. "That's precisely what we are."

"Well," Mr. Lewis chuckled, clapping loudly over the chatter. "We certainly have an interesting new team this year now don't we? I hope to meet all of your team mate's, and wish you all the best of luck."

"Thank you sir." Arthur responded respectfully. "We will relay the message."

"Now then," Mr. Lewis called. "Will that be all Laura?" The blond girl nodded, setting her papers back on the table.

"Just one more thing. Because of the arrival of these new teams, you all will be seeing three new tables in the lunch hall today. The headmaster asks that you all wait to greet our newcomers until their whole team has settled and found their spot so as to avoid confusion. That is all, sir."

"Thank you my dear." He boomed. "Alright, homeroom ends in ten minutes, so why don't the lot of you get to talking about last weeks challenge? Laura, would you talk with our newcomers?"

"Certainly Mr. Lewis."

Alfred felt his heart leap in anticipation, glancing over at the smiling girl again. Hopefully, they'd get an explanation out of her. Mr. Lewis nodded and waved his hands dismissively, to which the class began chattering loudly amongst themselves. Alfred watched as Laura rounded the large stone walled classroom toward them, slowly taking a seat in front of them and turning around.

"Laura! What are you-"

"Doing here?" She laughed, smiling brightly. "I suppose my presence would raise some questions wouldn't it? I'm sorry I didn't really explain it to you yesterday. I wasn't really thinking right..."

"So explain it now." Alfred cut in eagerly. Arthur punched him in the shoulder, most likely for interrupting her, but at this point Alfred was to excited to care.

"Well, you see, even though I said I was your counselor for the year... that's not quite right..."

"Clearly." Arthur sighed. "We saw that when that awful lady appeared this morning saying she was our counselor instead of you."

"Ah you mean Ms Pecket." She giggled, covering her mouth. "Yes, you see, to be honest, I sort of lied to you all. I'm actually a teacher's assistant. Well, to be more specifically, I aid the counselors with whatever they need done. I'm going to university next year to study Psychology, and I've always wanted to be a counselor, so they agreed to let me shadow them in order to get a better feel for the job."

"You're a senior?" Alfred gaped, staring at her. She nodded.

"That's right. Anyway, Ms Pecket was supposed to come up to your cabin with me that day, but something came up and she sent me by myself. I guess I just got so excited that I forgot to mention that she was your real counselor and just kind of stepped into the role. I was going to tell you as I was leaving, I swear! But I had realized that I'd forgotten to do something for one of the teachers I help, and I completely disregarded telling you all the truth... I was going to tell you today when we both came up to your cabin, but something happened and ahaha she sort of fired me. Well not fired because I wasn't getting paid or anything, but she doesn't want me for an assistant any more..." She sighed, smiling in embarrassment and scratching her head. "I'm really sorry about all the confusion... but I'm glad you two are in my homeroom! Can you please tell the others what happened?"

"I don't know if they'd believe us." Arthur smiled wryly, spinning his silver studs around slowly in his ear. "But we will certainly tell them what you've told us."

"So you're not mad?" She breathed happily.

"Of course not!" Alfred grinned. "It was an honest mistake, you know? Besides, what kind of hero would I be if I didn't forgive something like that?"

"Hero?" She chuckled, arching her eyebrows in amusement.

"Ignore him." Arthur muttered. "He's not really all there..."

"Who asked you?" Alfred snapped defensively, folding his arms in front of his chest. How did he do that? He acted like such a perfect little boy in front of Mr. Lewis, and yet here he was being a smart ass again as soon as the teacher wasn't looking.

"No one. Do I need an invitation to say what I want?" Arthur shot back.

"I'd like it if you had one, yes." Alfred growled, gritting his teeth.

"Guys hey come on." Laura intervened. "You're on the same team, can't you get along?"

"Tell that to him." The responded in unison. Alfred shot him an annoyed glare, but brushed off the pissed off feeling in his gut and turned back to Laura.

"Anyway, what house are you?" He asked curiously, examining her black armband.

"I'm in Republic." She replied proudly, showing off the white eagle on the cloth of her band. "We're in third overall. It doesn't mean anything to me if my house get's selected to go to international, cause I'm going to university next year, but it would be great for our underclassmen if we got chosen." She laughed.

"So your group took in new kids this year?" Arthur inquired.

"Yea. It's pretty rare now a day's to see a house that doesn't. Everyone wants their houses legacy to live on." She chuckled. "Although I understand somewhat why there are still teams who don't take new members."

"Why wouldn't they?" Alfred asked incredulously. "Doesn't it make the team stronger?"

"True." She agreed. "It's just... after a year with the same people? You form a bond, and unbreakable bond that you don't want any one to be a part of. We had seniors in my group freshman year, and I'll tell you, it was the hardest thing I've ever done, watching them go. And it was hard, taking newbie's the next year."

"I suppose I understand why it would be hard saying goodbye to a friend." Arthur agreed. "Although I'm not sure I'm certain about the whole unbreakable bond bit. Even so, what does bringing in underclassmen have to do with the seniors leaving?"

"Because no one wants to feel like they're replacing the members who have moved on." She replied matter-o-factly. "Which is why I get why some houses choose to just let their houses graduate peacefully without taking on new members. It happened a lot more towards the beginning of the school, so new teams came in more often. That's why it's such a fuss when the academy gets whole new teams. Anyway, back to the maine subject. It hurts at first, to think that some random kid will be filling the spot that your precious teammate held. And some teams form such strong bonds that they can't bear to replace them, although I for one am glad our team did."

"You are?" Alfred gaped. "Even after how much they meant to you?"

She nodded, smiling gently. "It's odd, because at first it does feel like replacing, but then you realize that you're giving these kids the chance to experience what you did. And it makes you feel pretty good. That's why I really hope we can come out on top this year, so our new kids can go right up to the international academy. Say, do you two have anyone in your group that's not a freshmen?"

"Gilbert, a sophomore." Alfred answered automatically. "He told us all when we first met him that he was a year older and he constantly harps on it. His younger brother Ludwig is in the group too. He's a freshman, like us. I think Romano too..."

"He's not older you git." Arthur scoffed, rolling his eyes. "He and Feliciano are twins."

"Oh yea, did you ask them?" Alfred shot back.

"Actually I did."

"Liar."

"Guy's!" Laura cut in again. "Goodness, have you two been at it like this since Saturday?"

"Constantly." Alfred drawled, glaring at Arthur.

"Well knock it off." She chuckled. "Fighting will get you no where."

"Tell him that." They grumbled in unison.

"Stop repeating me!" Arthur hissed.

"Then you stop repeating-" His comeback was drowned out by the sudden chiming of a bell and the sound of chairs squeaking across the floor.

"Well that's the bell for first!" Laura laughed, smiling brightly. "Why don't you two get your schedules from Mr. Lewis, and I'll help you to your first class?" They nodded in agreement, and walked towards the front of the room, refusing to look at each other.

"I thought you two would be needing these." Their teacher grinned knowingly, handing them both a slip of paper. " As well as these..." Reaching behind his desk, he pulled out two brown leather bags and handed them to them. " Your bags." He laughed. "If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. My door is always open."

"Thanks, we'll remember that." Alfred responded, giving him a wave. "See ya Mr. Lewis!"

"Goodbye you two!" He called as Laura ushered them out the door. "Don't get into to much trouble!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alfred grumbled as the door closed behind them.

"Oh don't mind him, he say's that to all the first years." Laura laughed. "Oh, watch it!" Grabbing onto Alfred's bag strap, she yanked him backwards.

"Hey what was that for?" He cried, rubbing his shoulder. She pointed down the hall at a student with a large stack of books in her hands.

"She didn't see you." Laura chuckled. "You would have gotten run over." Alfred blanched at the thought of getting hit by a stack of books that big. Not only would his arm be hurt, but his head broken.

"I'm surprised how full the halls are." Arthur commented as hoards of students pushed past them. "I would have figured there wouldn't be that many students here. On top of that, the school is so huge..."

"Oh it's big, but there are a lot of sections not in use." Laura stated, leaning against the wall as she waited for the crowds to thin. "For example, the east wing on the 8th floor is totally off limits. And their doing construction on most of the north side, you know the one against the mountain? There are still classes there and everything, but the rest of it is pretty much out of commission for now. When they finish working on it, I'll take you guys up there. It's crazy pretty. Oh! And you totally want to go to the 10th floor observatory in the west wing. The view of the lake from there is stunning."

"Laura, what are you doing here?" An impatient voice inquired over the noise. Alfred looked over to see a tall boy standing beside the petite blonde, arms cross and mouth turned down into a disapproving scowl. The boy, (at least a good six inches taller then himself) had messy crop of ash blond hair that framed his face in a disheveled manner, as if he'd forgotten to brush it that morning (much like a certain Briton he knew).

His hazel green eyes glared intently at he and Arthur, as if he was trying to decide weather to ignore them or pick them up and kick punt them down the hallway. Alfred was preying it wouldn't be the latter. Besides his obviously annoyed expression, Alfred's eye's were drawn to the long blue and white scarf that he had wrapped around his neck, much like the tan one that Ivan had been wearing since they'd met (he'd refused to take it off, even for school). Was it really ok to wear things over the uniform? If that's the case, I wouldn't mind wearing my bomber jacket instead of this stupid blazer. He thought longingly.

Of course, Gilbert had made no attempt to conceal his disgust with the uniform, and had spent a good five minutes arguing with Ms. Pecket about wearing his red jacket instead of the blue blazer until she finally gave up and let him do what he wanted, resulting in the brash German showing up to school in a dark red t-shirt (granted he wore the dress shirt over it, but the top three buttons were left open, exposing the boy's disregard for the dress code) and said red jacket. Not to mention he was still proudly displaying the iron cross that had been swinging from his neck since Saturday. While he'd been waiting around on Sunday night, he'd skimmed the school rules that were posted on the door, and large jewelry was definitely not allowed, for boys or girls. Even so, he'd been reluctant to take his dog tags off, and had quickly stuffed them into his shirt before the counselor saw them.

"Oh hi Lars." Laura chirped brightly, snapping him from his thoughts. "This is Alfred and Arthur, their freshmen, so I was going to show them to their next class."

"We're going to be late for Statistics." He pressed impatiently, frowning at them. "I don't want any tardies on our record, not when our team is doing so well."

"Yea yea I'm coming, I'm coming." She insisted, shoving him gently. "Just give me a minute. Tell Mr. Parks, I'm sure he'll understand."

"Absolutely not." He snorted. "I'm not a messenger boy. Besides, why are you wasting your time on these freshmen from another house?"

"Hey, the freshmen from another house are standing right here and can hear you." Alfred grumbled. The other boy ignored him, keeping his gaze locked firmly on Laura.

"Laura we're going to get in trouble."

"You worry to much."

"You worry to little."

"Alfred!"Huh? Alfred turned his attention away from the bickering pair to see Matthew and Soren waving to him over the crowds, accompanied by one sour looking Frenchman.

"I can't believe we ran into you!" Matthew smiled, running up to him. "What do you have next? Soren's heading up to AP chem right now. I've got advanced English." He said proudly. "I don't know why they put me in it, but I'm glad they did. It's better then being in an advanced math..."

"Laura?" Soren cut in, gazing in bewilderment at the still arguing girl. She jumped in surprise, diverting her attention from the blond boy and smiled.

"Oh hey Soren! Hi Matthew, and Francis too! Alfred, Arthur would you two be dears and explain everything to them?"

"What's going on?" Soren asked in disbelief, still gawking at her.

"I told you they'd explain." She replied. "By the way, that uniform oddly suites you Soren." She chuckled. "You're so tall I would have thought that- waaaoh!" She cried as the other boy tugged on her arm.

"If you have time to sit around giving compliments to first years, you have time to come to class with me." He snapped irritably, pulling her away.

"Sorry guys! I'll see you later!" she called. "Good luck finding your classes!" Alfred watched as she turned back to the ash blond and waved her finger in front of his face, catching something about him being rude and that she was going to keep calling him Lars mars if he didn't improve his attitude. And then they disappeared around the corner, and out of sight.

"Well that was interesting." Arthur muttered from beside him. "Anyone care to tell me how long we have to get to class?"

"Passing periods are ten minutes, because the school is so big. I'd say we have about five minutes left." Matthew offered.

"How was homeroom?" Francis asked, casting them an obnoxiously knowing smile that made Alfred want to knock it off his face.

"Miserable." Arthur snapped, not even having the decency to look at him. "But at least Laura was there."

"Ah yes, you two are going to explain that, non?" Francis inquired.

"Let him explain it to you." Alfred snapped at the French boy.

"Alfred." Matthew warned softly. "That... confusing issue aside, have you looked at your schedule?"

"No." He sighed, opening the paper. Honestly, the last thing he wanted to do was go to class. "AP bio, English studies, British history, Calculus, music theory, theatre, PE, and..." He frowned studying the sheet. "Criminology. What the heck kind of class is that?"

"You're in Calculus?" Soren gaped, snatching the scheduel from his hands. "Dude, that's a junior course. A senior one in normal high schools." He pointed out, clearly impressed at his friends feat. Alfred shrugged dismissively. He'd always been good at math and science. They were his strong suites. He didn't even have to pay attention in class to get perfect grades in those two. English and history... now that's where the problem lay. He just didn't see the point. Why should he have to take English? He spoke the language for fucks sake. He didn't need to know about prefixes and suffixes and homophones and whatever the heck else there was.

Nor did he care for hidden meanings and references in literature. How again, did it impact his life that the pigs in animal farm represented Hitler and Stalin in WWII? Seriously, it was stupid. Analyzing literature looking for things that the author may or may not have been connecting too, it was a waste of time. So was history class. What did he care how the Roman Empire fell? It was in the past, and this was the future. It was different. They should be looking ahead, not behind them.

Language. That was another thing he'd never been so hot at. He liked listening to people speak other languages. It was actually kind of neat. But when it came to himself, he could never get it. Five years of Spanish class had left him with nothing but how to say hello and how are you doing, and he was just fine with it that way. Besides, who would want to listen to HIM speak Spanish? He'd probably be bludgeoned to death if he actually went to Spain and tried. So he was grateful for the lack of foreign language class on his schedule.

"That's great Al." Matthew admitted, looking over his paper. "I'm only in Geometry."

"I'm in Algebra!" Soren whined. "I mean seriously, Algebra? How lame..."

"I told you you should have study more in math." Matthew laughed knowingly.

"Oh shut up." Soren grumbled. "Anyway, we've both got music history so we should have at least one class together. I got woodshop though, not theatre. But I've got PE and so does Matty, so hopefully we have it at the same time... I'm not sure WHAT that criminology thing is though. They put me in a weird class too, although not the same. Look." He said, motioning to his schedule. "Sparring? Who the heck has sparring as an actual class? I'm seriously tempted to write that essay..."

"Hey, I'm a boy and they put me in home ec!" Matthew complained. "Why would they do that? That's a girl's class! I mean really, it's rather insulting."

"You really do need a haircut." Alfred teased, rubbing the top of his friend's head.

"I would say it's fine as it is." Francis commented. "There's nothing wrong with long hair."

"Thankyouverymuch." Matthew murmured, words tumbling out of his mouth in rapid succession, as he shuffled on his feet uncomfortably.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind if you gave me the name of the brand you used. Your hair looks so soft it's like- augh!" He winced as Arthur elbowed him in the gut, cutting him off.

"No one wants' to hear you talk." Arthur muttered, frowning at the other boy. "Just shut up." Alfred felt a spark of surprise light in his gut as he watched the sharp exchange between the Briton and his friend. He... really was keeping to his promise to protect Matthew. Damn, now I owe him. He swore inwardly. Either way, he was glad that things would be easier for Matty now. Turning back to his friends and ignoring the bickering pair he let out a long sigh.

"I really don't want to go to class..."

"I know, but I think we should probably get going." Matthew pointed out. "Look, the crowds are starting to thin. And don't forget, we don't know where we're going..."

"He's right." Soren agreed. "Alfred, what room is your bio class in? Matt and I are going the same way, but you don't know where you're headed do you?"

"Let's see..." He mumbled, glancing at the sheet. "612."

"Aww, that's in the west wing." Matthew sighed. "We're going to the 4th floor in the north wing."

"How the hell did you figure out the floor plan so quickly?"

"I'm just... awesome, as Gilbert would say." Matthew chuckled. "Anyway, good luck finding your room. We'll, see you at lunch?"

"Yea that is if I can find the damn lunch hall." He grumbled.

"It's called a map Al." Soren smirked; eye's alight in amusement. "Maybe you should try using one."

"Oh fuck off." He muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. They laughed and with a wave, turned the other direction. "See you guy's later." He called as they started away.

"See you!" Soren yelled. Then they rounded a corner, and disappeared.

"Great, now how the flaming fuck am I supposed to find this place?" He grumbled, scratching his head and staring at his schedule.

"Well you don't have to be so mean."

"I'm not being mean, you need to lay off."

Alfred flinched, suddenly remembering whom exactly he was still standing next to. Maybe if I just inch away...

"Hey!" Arthur snapped suddenly, glaring at him. "Don't you dare fucking leave, this is your problem too. I could use some help here."

"My problem?" He snorted. "Why don't you deal with your friend and I'll deal with mine?"

"And I'm wondering why we're being treated like annoying side characters here." Francis cut in. "What exactly do you mean by deal with? That's just rude, like we're a hassle. I hope you don't speak like this in front of Matthew..."

"What happens between Matthew and I is none of your concern." Alfred snarled. "Would you PLEASE stay the fuck away from him?"

"There." Arthur grumbled. "That's all the help I was asking for. Honestly, you're dense."

"I'm going to ignore that." Alfred growled, not breaking his gaze from Francis. "Look. You have to leave him alone. I don't know if you're gay, or you just want to be friends, or whatever it is, but you can't keep bothering Matty like this. He's already got self-esteem issues. He doesn't need you adding fuel to the fire."

"I'm not being mean..."

"But you're being overbearing. He already has Soren and me, he doesn't need anyone else loud and pushy around him."

"Well, at least you admit it." Arthur snorted. "Seriously though Francis..." He said, turning to his friend. "Even I can tell, you're making him uncomfortable. Perhaps, with time, he'll warm up to you. But for now, just let it go."

"I..." Francis looked away. "I am sorry." He sighed dejectedly. " I did not realize that my actions upset him so much. I will not talk to him so much."

"That's all I'm asking." Alfred promised. Alfred's ears perked at the sound of the bell, chiming through the hallway. "Shit." He swore, stuffing his schedule in his pack. "Class..." With a curt nod, he backed away from the pair and as soon as he had rounded the corner, broke out into a sprint.

"Shit shit shit shit shiiiiit!" He cursed, glancing at the room numbers as he passed. Hadn't that guy Laura had been talking to said something about points being deducted on a account of tardiness? If that was true, he certainly hoped his bio teacher was as kind as Mr. Lewis...

"Hey!" A voice yelled from behind him. Skidding to stop on the red velvet floor, he turned to glance at the owner of the familiar voice.

"What do you want?" He snapped as the Briton slowed beside him.

"My class is in the same direction. I'm 611." He replied stiffly. "I figured it would be easier if I went along with you, so that we're both not overly late."

"Fine with me, as long as you don't talk to me again." Alfred snorted, turning away and starting down the hall. "Damn it, must be on another floor. But where are the stairs?"

"Not that I'm talking to you, but I do believe they're over there." Arthur stated dryly from behind him.

"Yea yea whatever." Alfred grumbled, following the other boy over to a winding stone staircase. "I would have seen it if you had just given me a minute."

"If you have time to stand there and gripe, then you have time to get your ass up to class." Arthur muttered in annoyance.

"Same to you." Alfred shot back, pushing past him.

"I'm not the one who was just standing there." Arthur replied smugly, shoving him back.

"Shut up."

"You shut up."

"Excuse me?" A tired voice cut in. Alfred glanced away from Arthur to the step in front of him, nearly jumping in surprise as he came mere inches from the face of another boy with deep green eyes.

"I'm sorry." He yawned. "It's just, I have to get down and you two are sort of blocking the stairs."

"Oh, yea sorry about that." Alfred apologized, stepping back to let the other boy through. As he passed, he cocked his head curiously, and gave him a warm smile.

"You're new here aren't you?" He tossed his gaze to Arthur who had also stepped aside and was pressed against the wall beside him. "You too?"

"Yea." Alfred blinked. "How did you know?"

"So am I." He chuckled softly, tugging at a strand of his long chocolate brown hair. "I'm running late for class as well. Overslept. I thought my room was up there, but it seems I was mistaken..."

"You need a hand?" Alfred offered, earning him a sharp jab in the gut from Arthur.

"We're already late you wanker."

"Well then five more minutes isn't going to make a difference." He replied dismissively, turning back to the olive skinned boy. "What's your classroom number?"

"612." He replied.

"Hey!" Alfred cried in surprise. "Seriously man? That's my classroom! Aw man, it's not up there? Way to go you moron, you lead us up the wrong staircase."

"Oh so now it's MY fault?" Arthur hissed. "I followed YOU down the halls you know. It's as much your fault as it is mine."

"Did you check the third floor?" Alfred inquired, biting back and angry retort meant for Arthur.

"The third floor?" He asked, a puzzled expression settling upon his face. "Oh, well no you see..."

"There we go!" Alfred grinned, cutting him off. "And if it's not there we'll try the next one. It's gotta be around here somewhere."

The brunette nodded uncertainly, stepping aside to let Alfred in front. "I'm not so great about figuring out where stuff is. My sense of direction... isn't the best."

"Meh that's ok. Neither is mine." Alfred laughed. "Come on, if we hurry, we'll get there before class is even ten minutes in."

"That's a lovely prospect." Arthur muttered from behind them. Alfred ignored him and continued up the spiraling stone steps, until he saw an exit.

"So that's the second floor, then the third must be- omph!" He yelled, rubbing his nose. "What the hell? Why is there a wall in the middle of the staircase?"

"Obviously because it's ended." Arthur sighed, sliding in beside him. "Although, it is troubling. Perhaps there's another flight somewhere on this floor..."

"That's what I was going to tell you." The other boy stated from behind them. "It doesn't go up any further, so I figured I'd go out to the second floor to see if there was another flight of stairs but... well let's say I found a little more then I was hoping to."

"What do you mean by... that?" Alfred breathed, stepping out into the second floor corridor. Well ,it wasn't so much like a corridor, but an enormous room with four flights of stairs spiraling upward from each corner of the room, criss-crossing ever which way. Each set led to another, and another, some connecting with the wall of the giant room and becoming an unseen pathway, others ascending upward further then they could see. It was like an enormous maze with no end, and only one way out. Up.

"Fuck." Arthur swore bitterly. "How are we supposed to figure out which one leads to the right floor?"

"How should I know?" Alfred snapped, eyes flitting around the room. "I guess we'll just have to pick one and hope we get it right."

"Oh that's effective." Arthur shot back.

"Uh guy's?"

"You have a better idea?" Alfred seethed.

"Guy's?"

"Anything's better then THAT."

"Guy's!"

Alfred jumped at the intrusion, glancing back at the brown haired boy who was staring at them almost impatiently. "Look, I think there's a hallway over on the other side. Why don't we try there first?"

Glancing around the massive flights of stairs, Alfred saw that he was right. There was indeed another passageway at the other end of the room. "Oh, hey cool! How did you miss that the first time?"

"I was to shocked by all the stairs. I figured I had come to the wrong place." He shrugged. "It hadn't occurred to me that one of these might lead where I wanted to go, I went back downstairs."

"Enough chatting, let's go!" Arthur called, already half way across the room. Tossing each other a glance, Alfred and the other boy sprinted after him. Oh god. Alfred thought. I hope this is the right way!

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:** Yup, in this chapter, I introduced Holland ^^ I was going to name him Abel, because I originally liked that name the best out of the ones Himaruya suggested, but after a while, Lars just started to grow on me XD Probably because my friends and I kept calling him Lars mars lol. So yush, horray for Holland! Or the Netherlands whatever floats your boat. I have to tell you, I'm in LOVE with Holland 3 So you'll be seeing a lot of him if I can help it lol.

Oh, and if anyone can figure out who the new character is (he IS a hetalia character) you get a cookie! :D

Hmm, looks like Francis got a talking to and he's going to back off of matthew! At least... for the time being XD

And yes, the castle is supposed to have a Hogwarts feel to it ^^ Particularly that room of stair cases (they don't move I promise but there are a lot of them XD)


	14. Friends and Foes

**A/N:** Ohmigosh~ :3 I got so many reviews I did a freaking one hundred take XD THANK YOU! :D Lol, on a random note, you can probably all tell by now that I LOVE writing from Alfred's POV 3 I don't know why, it's just easier for me (probably because our loveable american is less shrouded in secracy then Arthur lol) However, I'm going to start writing from Arthur's POV more... Gah I got so many questions! And I'm so happy about it! Don't worry, you guy's will get stuff answered soon enough haha XD

Ughhh what a week... My parents are determined to keep me busy, as usual. I suppose its for my own good, and it's stuff I want to do but even so XD I'm taknig a math course over the summer so i can skip into the advanced class next year, and thats taking up hours and hours. On top of that, I'm auditioning to get into our towns philharmonic orchestra in a couple months, and the auditions are pretty rigorous, so I've already started practicing (Mozart I love you, but damn you at the same time XD) I'm really gunning for first chair... plus I have to start preparing for allstate... *sigh* on top of that, there's the other usual stuff, and my parents decided to take my computer away from me for my own good because i was to busy *glare* Boy am i glad I didnt take health over the summer... although sitting in a class during school next year with a bunch of underclassman watching a live birth isnt exactly a pleasent thought either . Jk I love the froshies and sophs :D Even so health is a pain XD Well, there's my shpeel...

OH! AND LOOKIES! :D :D A good friend of mine decided to be gracious and draw the emblem for you guys lol XD

http :/ chemukh -ayet. deviantart. com/#/ d3hpsqc just get rid of the spaces. It's well worth checking out (both the volored and line art) and she's a really great artist!

O ~ O ~ O

Alfred sighed, laying his head against the cool black stone of the lab bench and staring out the wide glass window. It had taken eight left turns, ten right, several flights of stairs and one incredibly inconspicuous stone stairwell, but they had finally made it to class. Nearly twenty minutes late, mind you, but even so, they had made it. Turning his eyes back to his lecturing teacher, he tossed a glance at the dark almond haired boy sitting beside him who was, at current, looking as if he was trying to stifle a yawn. He was a little odd, that one, but he had yet to not impress the blonde American. After their dashing through the halls for ten consecutive minutes, even Alfred was leaning against the worn stone walls, gasping for air, and he had always considered himself to have pretty decent endurance. That kid hadn't even broken a sweat. He had simply stared calmly at he and Arthur as they floundered to catch their breath, like fish out of water. Guy must have one hell of a lung capacity.

After they'd taken a minute to compose themselves, the trio split off, Arthur disappearing into the room just down the hall, while he and the other boy had stepped cautiously into their new class. Alfred had anticipated scolding. That was a given, after all, being nearly twenty minutes late on the first day of school. What he hadn't expected was the absolute backlash their teacher had given them. He hadn't even been able to get a word of apology out of his mouth before the man was on him like a hound, fuming so, that smoke looked like it was going to start pouring out of his ears at any moment.

_"You!" He barked, throwing the paper's he'd been reading from down forcibly onto his desk. "Do you two have any idea how late you are? And on the first day of school as freshman? You should be disgusted with yourselves. Honestly, this used to be a prestigious school. How we've ended up with so many slackers like this is beyond me."_

_"Sorry sir, we got lost." Alfred offered, holding in the vicious urge to walk over to the man and stomp his face into the ground._

_"Never mind that." He snapped. "I don't have time for this, just get on with it."_

_Alfred cocked his head in confusion, flitting his eyes to the other boy for help. He just shrugged. "I'm not sure what you mean." He replied. "What is it you want us to do?"_

_"For the love of god boy, your names." He sighed exasperatedly. "Do I have to spell it out for you? Are you sure you belong in this class?"_

_Biting back an angry retort he nodded compliantly. "Alfred Jones." Scowling, the teacher glanced down at a black clipboard just off to the side of his large wooden desk._

_"Well it seems like you do belong here, Mr. Jones. For whatever reason anyway. Sit down in the back of the room."_

_Shooting him an unnoticed glare, Alfred slipped in between the large stone lab desks of the other students and settled onto a stool in front of the desk in the back._

_"You ok man?" A voice from the desk beside him whispered over the teacher's continuously lecturing to the boy he had walked in with. He jolted in surprise, tossing the other student a glance. Kind brown eyes framed by cropped red hair stared at him in concern._

_"Oh, yea." He murmured back. "I guess I wasn't expecting that just for being late."_

_"Mr. Palmer is always like this." The boy responded quietly, looking back up at their teacher. "You're a freshman huh? I'm a sophomore, and I had him last year. He's slightly less monstrous if you're on his good side, although in your case, I don't think that's going to happen."_

_Alfred snorted under his breath and nodded. "Yea, it seems like he already hates me huh?"_

_"You and your friend better watch out." The boy warned. "He FAILED kids last year, just for getting on his nerves. I've been blessed with the good fortune of being on his good side, but I've seen what he does to kids he doesn't like and it isn't pretty."_

_"Wonderful." Alfred muttered. "Is he even allowed to do that?" The boy shrugged, giving the man another quick glance before turning back to him._

_"Probably not, but he's the best AP science teacher the school's got, and they'd be crazy to fire him. Besides, everyone's always so afraid for their grade, no one would dare tell the other teachers about him."_

_"Lovely." Alfred sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair. The red head laughed quietly and shook his head._

_"If you ever need anything, don't be afraid to ask. I told you, he likes me so I might be able to get him to cut you some slack at times. I did the same thing last year with some of my friends in the class."_

_"Thanks." Alfred chuckled. "But if it's all the same, I think I'll try to deal with it on my own."_

_"Then I wish you luck." The boy replied. "By the way, my name's Oliver."_

_"Alfred."_

_"Hey, is that talking I hear?" Mr. Palmer roared, turning his attention away from the boy he was scolding. "I will not have talking in my classroom." Snapping back into their seats, the two boys exchanged an amused glance before turning their attention back to the front of the room. He was still going on to that poor kid? Didn't he have his name on the paper anyway? Why did he need to ask him, he was the last one left?_

_"You look like you just woke up. And you're not wearing the uniform properly. Don't teenagers these days take any pride in their appearance? And another thing-"_

_"Sir." The boy cut in. "I hate to sound rude, but while you're standing here lecturing me about being late, aren't you just wasting more time?" Alfred held in a choked snort of amusement. Frankly, the teacher had been lecturing him about everything BUT his tardiness. Apparently that struck a nerve with Mr. Palmer, because after shooting him a disapproving glare, he shooed him to the back of the room to sit next to Alfred._

_"You were really brave up there." Alfred muttered as the teacher turned his back to them to continue the lesson on the board. "Did you do that on purpose?" The brunette smiled innocently, keeping his eyes locked on the front of the room._

_"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about." He replied nonchalantly. Alfred chuckled quietly and shrugged._

_"Must have been my mistake then." He's sly. Alfred thought. He doesn't look like the type that thinks things through like that. Not that he looked like an airhead or anything. Just not someone who did any more thinking then he had to. Laid back, if Alfred had to describe him._

_"Must have been." He responded, pulling a binder out of his bag and setting it on the table._

_"Whoa hey you said you were a freshman right? Then where did you get that?" Alfred asked in surprise. He had been rather curious as to where they were to get their school supplies. "_

_"It was in the bag already. All the books you need are there too."_

_Seriously? Alfred gaped, sticking in hand in his pack. Wow there really was stuff in there. How had he not noticed it before?_

_"Wow thanks." He said gratefully. "I might not have ever noticed they were there."_

_"You must be pretty strong, Alfred, not to notice the weight of all those books." He chuckled, finally turning his eyes from their preoccupied teacher to look at him. Oh yea! I don't know his name yet. He realized. "It's Heracles." The boy said suddenly, cutting into his thoughts. "My name is Heracles Karpusi."_

_"Heracles." He said quietly. "Hey that's a cool name. Is it kind of like Hercules? That guy from the Greek myths?"_

_"Sort of." He smiled. "Although Heracles is the proper spelling. Somewhere along the line it got changed to Hercules in English."_

_"I kinda like Heracles better." Alfred replied thoughtfully. "Hey, what house are you-"_

_"Are you two talking back there?" Mr. Palmer cut in furiously._

_"Ah no just, asking for paper."_

_"Well be quite." He snapped. "Now then..."_

And here they were, an hour and a half later, still sitting around in Biology. Damn, how long did classes go anyway? Come to think of it, he still wasn't entirely sure of the schedule. Did they go to all their classes every day? He couldn't imagine that. At this point, with the added twenty minutes that they'd missed, class had been going for nearly two hours. If all their classes were that long, they would be there until midnight.

"Alright." Mr. Palmer's booming voice shook him from his daze, forcing him to turn his attention back to the angry man. "That concludes out class for the day." Wow, speaking of... "Homework is pages 30 through 48, due on Wednesday, is that clear?" The class responded with a weary 'yes sir', barely audible over the sound of books and binders being shoved back into the student's leather packs. "Good. If any one of you don't have it, I WILL be deducting points, you can be sure of-" The sudden chiming of the bell cut him off, and the students grew noisy, bustling out of the classroom and chatting all the way, as if their strict teacher had disappeared with the chimes.

"Oh no, not you two." He snapped as he and Heracles inched past him. "You stay." Alfred flinched, halting in place and staring longingly at the closing door. So close...

"Your behavior today was completely disrespectful, and I assure you boys, I will be having no more of it." He ground out coldly. "You will be on time, you will not talk back to me, and you will pay attention and do as I ask. Are we clear?"

"Perfectly." Alfred responded, itching to get out of the classroom. Heracles answered with a polite nod, but said nothing.

"What houses are you two from?"

"What does that matter?" Alfred asked, fighting to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Couldn't he just let them go already? He had another class to get to, and who knew where the hell that one was.

"Mr. Jones, what exactly did I just say about talking back to me? You're not off to a good start, are you my boy?" He smiled unpleasantly. "Houses. Now."

"Imperaturi." He muttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I'm from one of the new houses."

"Clearly. And you?" He said, turning to Heracles.

"I'm from-"

"Alfred!" The door swung open and a rather peeved looking Briton stepped into the room, arms crossed in disapproval, until he saw the teacher.

"Oh... I'm sorry sir. I didn't realize he wasn't just lazing around." Arthur said apologetically, earning a pointed glare from Alfred. He was already standing on the edge of a cliff with this man, and Arthur seemed more then determined to add sharp pointy rocks to the bottom of his fall.

"Is this your teammate?" Mr. Palmer inquired.

"Yes." Arthur answered for him. "I apologize for dragging him out, but it seems for some reason he's needed at the moment. Please carry on." Without that, Arthur snatched him by the wrist and dragged the flustered American out the door before his teacher could get a word in edgewise.

"You bloody twat!" Arthur seethed, the minute the door shut behind them. "What did you do?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Alfred snapped bitterly, turning his head away.

"You damn well know what I'm talking about." Arthur growled. "He was about to take POINTS away from us Jones. You're lucky I overheard the conversation as I was passing and pulled you out before he could do anything." Points? Alfred frowned, thinking back on what Laura had said in homeroom. He vaguely remembered something like that being mentioned...

"Never mind." Arthur sighed. "I don't want to know. Just get your ass moving so your not late for your next class and cost us points."

"What about you?" Alfred huffed angrily. "Don't stand here lecturing me about being on time when you don't know where your class is..."

"I already know where it is." Arthur replied smugly. "We passed it on our way here. It'll take me no more the fives minutes to get there. You on the other hand have no idea where to go."

"Why you-" Alfred began, clenching his fists at his sides.

"Hey you two." A familiar voice called over the crowd. "You guy's are already going at it, huh?"

Alfred whirled around, met with a familiar pair of red eyes and mismatched uniform. "Oh, hi Gilbert." He sighed.

"Alfred! Arthur" A girls voice this time, waving excitedly as she pushed through the students. "Hi! I didn't know you guy's had a class on this floor! Where are you off too?" Elizaveta smiled, pointedly ignoring Gilbert.

"Hey Elizaveta." Alfred smiled brightly. "Yea... we're uh, right next to each other." He replied, shifting uncomfortably on his heels and glancing back at Arthur. He wasn't looking at him.

"Did something happen?" She asked curiously, peering around him at the fuming Briton.

"Ah, no." He laughed, stepping away from Arthur. "We were just talking."

" Yea right, you looked like you were going to hit him." Gilbert cut in, laughing.

"Well, I guess that's better then hitting each other." She shrugged, flattening out her red plaid skirt and ignoring the amused albino. "Where are you two going next?"

"English studies." Alfred groaned. "Man, of all the miserable classes to have after a miserable class..."

"Hey, that's where I'm going!" Elizaveta laughed. "I hope we have the same teacher!" Alfred smiled in relief, warmth pooling into his gut. At least if Elizaveta was there, it wouldn't be so bad.

"Huh." Gilbert muttered. "English studies... weird that sounds familiar..."

"Yea because we just said it you idiot." Elizaveta growled, acknowledging him for the first time in their conversation.

" Ha ha, no miss know it all..." Gilbert trailed off, rummaging through his bag. "Like I think I've seen that before... oh here it is." He said, pulling out a crumpled white piece of paper. He stared at it for a minute, eyes flitting around the page, and slowly, Gilbert blanched.

"Verdammt noch mal!" He swore, shoving paper back in his bag and crossing his arms. "We have the same damn class!"

"You're joking." Elizaveta pleaded. "Please tell me you're joking. What room is it? Are you sure it's this period?"

"432. And yes, I'm sure it's this period. I'm not an idiot." He snorted.

"That's my class." Alfred put in. "It's probably yours too..."

"Augh!" She yelled, gripping the sides of her head. "Dear god I'm gonna die!"

"You're gonna die?" Gilbert muttered, rolling his eyes. "I'm the one who has to put up with you."

"You say something?" She snapped, turning on him menacingly.

"Nothing at all." He replied, crossing his arms smugly.

"This is just great." She sighed, shaking her head. "Of course, Roderich and I don't have any classes toge-"

"Why would you care about that?" Gilbert cut in, an annoyed edge slipping into his voice. "That obnoxious prick, it would be better for everyone if he wasn't in the group."

"Take that back." Elizaveta snapped.

"Make me."

"Would you two knock it off," Arthur growled loudly. Alfred jumped in surprise, suddenly remembering the smaller blonde's presence beside him. "This idiot almost lost us points just a few minutes ago for being late, isn't that right Alfred?"

"Hey, you were late too." He pointed out.

"That aside, we can't afford to lose points before we even have them. The three of you don't even know where the room is, do you? Get going. You don't have time to stand around here arguing."

"Yea but-"

"Please." Arthur sighed. "My head hurts. Just go."

Elizaveta nodded. "Sorry Arthur." She murmured, placing her hand on his shoulder. "We'll go, ok? Don't worry about us, and try to get rid of your headache ok? If it doesn't get better, you should go to the nurse." Alfred narrowed his eye's, staring at Elizaveta's hand on Arthur. Why was she being so nice to him? She hadn't done anything wrong. He didn't deserve kind touches and sweet words. Not from her.

"Let's go." Gilbert muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets and starting away. Alfred nodded, giving Arthur one last look before falling in step beside him. A moment later, Elizaveta caught up, forcing a bright smile to her face.

"So Alfred how was your last class?"

"Miserable." He chuckled. "My teacher hates me..."

"Hey, you aren't going to ask me?" Gilbert whined. "I'm way more awesome then him, so obviously I'm more important!"

"Oh yea, that's logic right there." Elizaveta snorted.

"Well it is!"

"Fine then how was your class?"

"None of your business."

"You asshole!"

Alfred laughed quietly falling behind them so as to keep from being bickered around. They really didn't get along well. Could be worse. He thought. They could be throwing punches at each other, like Arthur and I. Speaking of Arthur... He glanced behind them, catching a glimpse of the dirty blonde. Wasn't his class in this direction? Arthur was standing by his classroom door still, but despite their departure, was not alone. In fact, back turned to them, he stood happily chatting with Heracles. That was a fast headache. Alfred grumbled inwardly. Continuing forward, his thoughts wandered back to the brown haired boy. He hoped that Mr. Palmer hadn't chewed him out to badly. After all, it seemed like he'd been in there a while. He felt kind of bad that a teammate saved him while Heracles was left there alone to deal with it by himself. He had really been saved by that call of his name...

He sighed, shaking his head and running to catch up with the still arguing pair, when he was struck with a horrible realization. He had called his name. The last time he'd done that, it had struck him as so odd, so weird and foreign. So unnatural. This time, he hadn't even noticed. "What is wrong with me?" He hissed to himself, biting his lip and clenching his fists at his sides. Forcing the thought to the back of his mind, he raced ahead of his teammates, calling out for them to follow. In a matter of moments, the trio was racing through the halls just as he had done several hours earlier. It felt oddly nostalgic. And yet somehow, Alfred couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.

O ~ O ~ O

English was an ordeal of it's own. They weren't late, (thank god for that because Arthur would have his head on a pike if they lost points for being late after what he told them) but oddly, the entire class was a lot more laid back then he would have imagined. Their teacher, Ms Walker, was a kind, cheerful young woman. She had just graduated from college, so she still had an air of childishness about her. They'd spent the first half hour or so introducing themselves, talking, doing anything but work. Elizaveta and Gilbert were effectively avoiding making eye contact, so it seemed for a time that it would stay peaceful. Unfortunately, as all things go, it didn't, and by the middle of class, the two were at each other's throats, and their poor teacher was up to her neck in conflict. Fortunately, when things finally managed to settle down and the two offered an apology, she was more then happy to forgive them. The rest of English went off without a hitch, save the occasional bump or shove from Elizaveta to Gilbert. Or vice versa.

After class, Ms Walker pulled them aside and asked them if they knew how their schedules were working. Alfred shrugged, and said in all honesty they had no idea and they were lucky that they had gotten two classes right so far.

"Next, the whole school goes to lunch. After that, you go to your last two classes. Tomorrow, you start with your second two and end with your second to last two. Does that make sense?"

"I'm not sure I get what you mean, but whatever I'll figure it out." Gilbert assured her. "After all, I'm awesome so I'll figure it out." She laughed good naturedly, and after a few more minutes of re-explaining, she shooed them off to lunch.

The lunchroom had been surprisingly easy to find. Probably because all the students in the school were gravitating toward the same room, but whatever. Alfred thought. Like the rest of the school, it was certainly a sight to behold. The room was huge. Heck, even the doors that led into the room were enormous. Rafter ceilings sat high above the stone floor of the room, adorned with golden trappings and trim that made them all the more spectacular. The walls were line with large rectangular windows that stretched nearly the height of the room, letting in an abundance of light, despite the still patchy gray skies outside, and it was suddenly clear to Alfred as to why there were no lights in the room. There was never any need. Along the length of the great room, sat 24 large wooden tables, covered in plates of food and drink, each, Alfred noticed, with a wooden carving nailed to the end of the table. Those must be the other teams emblems. He realized. But then... where's our table?

"Gilbert! Alfred! Elizaveta!" A voice called from the far end of the room. Alfred perked at the familiar voice, scanning the crowd of people to find his teammate.

"Tino!" He yelled gratefully, waving to the short blonde. "Thanks man." He said gratefully as they approached the table the short Finnish boy stood next to.

"It's no problem of course!" Tino insisted happily. "We're a team after all, why wouldn't I call you over?"

"But how did you decide this was our table?" Gilbert asked suspiciously.

"Well it's got our emblem on it of course." Tino blinked, staring at him as if he was daft. And indeed it did. Somehow or another, they managed to get it up in only four hours of having possession of it.

"Man these people work fast." He muttered. "But it looks perfect!"

"Th'nks." A voice said from behind them, causing the group to jump.

"B-Berwald!" Tino cried in surprise. "You scared us!"

"What the hell do you mean by 'thanks'?" Gilbert snorted.

Berwald smiled gently, running his fingers over the crest and staring at it proudly. "I m'de it 'f c'rse."

"You did?" Tino asked, voicing all of their surprise. He nodded, turning back to them.

"I g't signed 'p f'r woodsh'p. Our f'rst assignment w's to build the l'nchroom crests f'r the new t'ms. Everyone in cl'ss worked on the oth'rs, b't I asked to do ours on my own. It seems l'ke I'm the 'nly freshm'n that got signed 'p f'r the class." He glanced back at the carving, shrugging his shoulders. "I think it t'rned out ok."

"It's amazing!" Elizaveta breathed, staring at the emblem. "I can't believe you did that in just two hours! We have to tell the rest of the house when the get here."

"Tell us what?" Yao asked from behind them. Alfred turned to see he and Kiku walking up to the table, curious expressions on their faces.

"Berwald made this." Alfred said, pointing to the crest. "Isn't it awesome?"

"That's amazing Berwald-san." Kiku agreed. "I can't believe you did that."

"What's going on?" Soren called.

"What are you guy's looking at?" Francis inquired, pulling up beside them. After several minutes, all eighteen of them had gathered around, talking and admiring Berwald's work.

"How were your classes?" Matthew asked, sitting down on his other side at the table.

"Miserable." He groaned. "Absolutely miserable. My AP bio teacher is horrible. Seriously, he's a monster. Oh, but my English teacher is really nice, and I made a couple new friends I guess."

"Really?" Soren laughed. "Wow that was fast. We're already being replaced."

"Oh shut up." He chuckled, shoving him.

"Well what we're their names?" Matthew asked curiously.

"Oliver and Heracles." He replied, eyes scanning the delicious looking food spread across the table. They'd been sitting around for about ten minutes, and still, not a single one of the other tables was touching their food. What were they waiting for, anyway?

"That's an interesting name." Soren commented, leaning into his hand.

"Oh, you're one to talk." Alfred teased. "How normal is Soren?"

"Normal enough." His friend grinned. "But still, just weird enough too."

"Damn it, when do we get to eat." Romano grumbled from the other side of the table. "I'm gonna fucking waste away."

"Poor Lovi, are you hungry?" Antonio cooed, ruffling the small Italians hair.

"Shut up!" Romano growled, trying to knock his hand away with his head. "And don't touch my hair you bastard!"

"Awww but why not?" Antonio whined. "You have nice hair. And I'd like to know how you get that piece to curl like that." He said, tugging at Romano's odd hair curl.

"Ah!" Romano cried, scrambling away from him and tumbling off the bench, face glowing bright red. "What the hell?"

"Sorry!" Antonio apologized, instantly dropping to the ground to make sure the boy was ok. "Did I pull it to hard? I didn't hurt you did I?"

"Bastard." Romano grumbled, looking away. "Just don't touch me and stuff like this won't happen!"

"Ahahahaa sorry about that." Antonio grinned sheepishly. "I'll... be more careful I guess."

"You guess." Romano snorted incredulously, pushing himself to his feet and pushing his brother over.

"Ve Romano what are you doing?" Feliciano whined, trying to hold on to his spot next to Ludwig.

"YOU sit next to the tomato bastard." He grumbled. "I'll sit between you two." He glared at Ludwig briefly; clearly expressing his displeasure at sitting next to the German boy, but quickly plopped down in the seat and turned away.

"Hey you guy's!" A pleasant voice called from behind them. Laura bounced over to the group, leaning down to meet eye level with Alfred. "What's up?"

"Laura?" Elizaveta cried, shooting up in her seat and catching the attention of the rest of the table. "What are you doing here in a school uniform?"

"Oh, they'll explain it to you later." She replied, waving her hand toward Alfred and Arthur (who just so happened to be sitting on the other side of Matthew). "Anyway, I just wanted to come over and say hello while the room is still in chaos."

"Yea speaking of that." Arthur spoke up. "When the bloody hell do we get to eat?"

"When the headmaster get's here." She informed him. "He usually doesn't show up at lunch, but since we've got four new teams, he's going to be introducing you and making some announcements."

"Speaking of announcements, didn't you say this morning that students weren't supposed to visit with the new houses." Alfred pointed out.

"Oh, they won't get mad." Laura giggled. "Don't worry."

"The staff might not, but I will." An annoyed voice pointed out from behind her. She sighed, rolling her eyes and spinning around to face Lars.

"Come on Lars mars, your such a stickler for the rules. I was just coming over as a student leader to make sure their settling in alright."

"Then go check with the other groups too." He growled. "And for the last time, don't call me that."

"Hey, I'm the student leader here." She pointed out, crossing her arms. "So you don't get to tell me what to do."

"I'm taller."

"What kind of logic is that?"

"Are you two dating?" Alfred cut in curiously. He supposed it wasn't a question you just asked someone, but he was curious.

"O-of course not!" Laura sputtered, staring at him wide eyed as her face went red. "We're teammates, and he's just a pain in the butt."

"I think you're talking about yourself..." Lars muttered. "Besides, who would want to date her?"

"What was that?" She smiled stiffly. "I couldn't quite here you."

"Well there has to be a reason you've never had a boyfriend." He snorted.

"Hey, you've never had a girlfriend!" She pointed out. "And would you knock it off, you're embarrassing me."

"Then come on." He said, grabbing her arm. "I already told you, you're not supposed to be over here, and we're going to get in trouble."

"There you go, pulling me away from people again." She grumbled, letting herself be dragged along. "Don't worry, I'll come over again after announcements!" She called waving goodbye.

"Well that was... weird." Lukas muttered.

"I can't believe Laura is here." Kiku said in disbelief. "I am happy she is, but it is quite the surprise.' Are," He turned to Arthur and Alfred expectantly. "Are you two going to explain?"

"Later." Alfred said, waving his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, it's not to complicated."

"That's not what you thought when she was telling us." Arthur snickered.

"I didn't once say I was confused." Alfred countered.

"Even so, it was written all over your face."

"Why were you staring at my face?"

"I was planning on punching it, but I decided against it because Laura was there."

"Then why don't you do it now?"

"Maybe I will."

"Guy's!" Matthew cut in desperately, holding his arms out. "Would you knock it off?"

"He started it." Alfred grumbled, letting his head fall against the table in defeat.

"Oh stop whining like a little kid." Arthur snorted, leaning on his arm.

Alfred looked away, running his hand around his smooth porcelain plate. "What were you talking to Heracles about?" He asked begrudgingly. "Your headache sure did seem to disappear fast..."

"I was just making sure I didn't get him into more trouble. And I asked him why you two were getting scolded..."

"So what did he say?" Alfred asked. Arthur sighed, putting his head down so they were seeing eye to eye.

"He told me how unfair that man was. I mean, you were late and all I suppose, but his reaction was completely uncalled for."

"Wait... so you're siding with me?" Alfred gaped, staring at him curiously. Arthur shrugged, twisting one of the silver studs in his ears lazily.

"I suppose so... and I apologize for trying to get rid of the lot of you earlier. I was just tired of their arguing..."

"Now you know how the rest of us feel." Matthew pointed out from between them. Arthur laughed dryly, pushing himself to his elbows.

"I suppose." He mused.

"Hey guy's look, something's going on." Soren pointed out, motioning to the colossal doors at the entrance of the hall. Students from every table around the room began to stand, all turning toward the center as the doors opened.

"Do you think the headmaster's finally here?" Yao whispered.

"Probably." Ludwig muttered. "Come on, we should stand too."

Nodding in agreement, the group pushed themselves to their feet, desperately trying to get a glimpse at the figures walking down the center row. It wasn't easy, considering they were at the very front and the furthest to the side, although Alfred reckoned that Berwald, Soren and Ivan were having no trouble seeing what was going on.

"What's going on?" He asked, stretching desperately on his heels to get a glimpse.

"There's this guy walking down the isle. Looks like there are some teachers with him or something. Oh, and there are students in the back. Holy crap, that's Laura!"

"Laura's there?" Matthew cried quietly. "I had no idea she held such a high position..."

With a loud slam, the large oaken doors closed and at that moment, he finally caught a glimpse of the top of a head, slowly ascending the stairs. Slowly... slowly...

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:** AGHHHHHHH I wanted to write so much more in this chapter! Unfortunately I hit a huge writers block towards the end, and my parents were threatening to take my computer Xd Oh, and I know this is a lot, and you can skip some but most of this is pretty important so read! XD Im joking you dont have to but seriously... XD oh and translation!

Verdammt noch mal!: Damn it all ( I hope!)

SO! Congrats to everyone who got it right! But I'll give you all cookies because you're so amazing :3 *hands out cookies* So, on the topic of Heracles. I'm going to be dead honest with you guy's, his personality is going to seem a little different then in the anime and manga, because I'm playing off another side of his personality that Himaruya mentioned, and that's his seriousness, because yes, Greece can be serious XD He's not going to be all tired and whispery voiced all the time. On top of that, when you hear Alfred and Arthur describe him in chapter to come, his pysical despcription might seem to fit Lithanians more, and yes, that's what I'm going for. Because no guy is as well buff as Greece in their freshman year of highschool, and Im not sure I would want them to be lol. So he's going to be tall and lanky, but with a strong chest. I know I'm straying a lot from the character, but I know that he'll work better in the story if he's got a personality likt this. And I'm not taking out the airy lazy side of him, I'm just toning it down a smidge, so don't worry ^^

Oh, on that subject, THIS IS IMPORTANT!

I'm gonig to be giving you all the characters as of now, and what coutnry they are. I hadn't really thoguht that everyone wasn't familair with the names, so I didn't bother giving them, but after some thoguht, a rather odd answer to my "who is it" question, and at the request of a reviewr, I am giving you the names! I won't do it again like this, only as characters come along so pay attention! Lol XD Here we go:

Alfred: America Arthur: England Matthew: Canada Francis: France Soren: Denmark Lukas: Norway Antonio: Spain Lovino/Romano: Romano Feliciano: Italy Ludwig: Germany Gilbert: Prussia Elizaveta: Hungary Roderich: Austria Berwald: Sweden

Tino: Finland Ivan: Russia Yao: China Kiku: Japan

Lars: The Netherlands (or holland, but it's more commonly reffered to as the Netherlands)

Laura: Belgium Heracles: Greece

And I believe that is all of them (save for Arthurs brothers who are Scotland, Ireland, Wales and sealand)

OH AND ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING! Oliver is NOT a character from the series, he is just an OC ^^ Speaking of OC's, I don't think I've ever hated writing on as much as I hate writing Mr Palmer . That guy is an ass, not gonna lie lol.

Thank you so much again for the reiviews! Like I was so insanely shocked you guy's have no idea hahah :D :D

And don't worry, next chapter will be completely from Arthur XD

My god my Authors note today O.o See you next time! (no, I don't spell check the Authors notes, can you tell? XD ) and Italics is of course flashback hahaha :D Imma be honest, I did not look this over after I spell checked it XD so i'll prolly take it down tomorrow and fix it. Im getting kicked off.. aughhh.. auughhhhhhhhhh


	15. Nerves and Nausea

**A/N**: First and foremost, I'm so sorry this is late! *bows in apology* I didn't have acess to my computer yesterday night so I couldn't upload it...

Also, thank you so much to all of those who reviewed ^^ It never ceases to make me happy :D

On that notish... I'm going on vacation ( a real vacation not just laying around my house summer vacation vacation XD) Actually, I'm taking a road trip across the country to go visit family who lives on the other side. In light of this, the next chapter might be a little later then usual as I can't type in the car... thank you for understanding! I'll try to get it up on time I really will.

Onward!

O ~ O ~ O

Arthur shifted his weight around, pushing himself to his tiptoes in a futile attempt to glance the headmaster as he proceeded towards the front of the room. Damn. He swore inwardly. I guess I'll just have to wait until he get's up here. Arthur couldn't believe he hadn't noticed the large chair atop a small flight of steps when he had entered the room. It was just, there was so much else to look at and see, the oddly placed object must have passed by his conscious. Now, he could see clearly enough that the seemingly misplaced piece of furniture had to belong to none other then the man who now held the rapt attention of the student body.

He peered to the side, watching as heads began to turn towards the short, stone staircase. He must be close. Ever so slightly, Arthur glimpsed the top of a head, adorned rather graciously with light blonde hair, poking over the mass of students as its owner ascended the steps. As he worked his way upward, Arthur managed to make out more of him, albeit only the back. What had appeared to be short blonde hair, actually turned out to be quite a bit longer then he had imagined. So long in fact, that the man had it tied back in a loose ponytail, making Arthur wonder for a second weather their headmaster wasn't actually a female.

To his side, a handful of teachers, as well as four students (one of which being Laura) settled beside the chair, standing at a sort of military attention. Suddenly, the man turned and looked at the students, mouth pulled into a stern line as he looked over the group. Arthur arched his eyebrow's is surprise. He looked young; much too young to be the headmaster of a school like the national academy. Pale blue eye's swept over them, as if measuring their reactions, staring them down. His jaw was stone set, pronounced and a tad bit intimidating, although not at all ugly. Somehow, the face looked familiar. He glanced around the group, eye's flitting instantly to Ludwig. That was it. He reminded Arthur suspiciously of the blonde German. Same intense blue eye's, strong facial features, even their hair was the same color and swept back in a similar fashion (minus the pony tail on Ludwig's part of course). Now wasn't that interesting.

"Welcome." The headmaster boomed suddenly, deep, masculine voice echoing through the hall. "As you all must have noticed by now, if you had not paid attention to your announcements in homeroom, we have been graced with four new teams this year, as well as a plethora of new students. I expect you all to treat them with the utmost respect, and to aid them when they need help, are we clear?"

"Yes headmaster." The room chorused. The man's tense shoulders seemed to relax slightly, and his sternly drawn mouth pulled into an approving, almost warm smile.

"Good. Now that formalities are out of the way, let's give our new comers a hand." The room, instantly less tense, burst into a loud round of applause and cheers. Arthur felt his cheeks go warm as he felt the eye's of the students around them fix warmly on their table. Next to him, Matthew shifted uncomfortably, wringing his hands together and looking to the ground. Apparently he wasn't the only one who was nervous. In fact, the whole group seemed a little put off by all the sudden attention, even if it was welcoming. All except for Gilbert of course, who was grinning proudly.

Arthur watched as the headmaster held his hands up for silence and the room grew slowly quiet, the sound of clapping and chatting students dying from the room.

"Now, I would like all of you to sit down, except for our new groups." He ordered them. Arthur felt his blood rush at the thought of having to stand alone in front of the calculating eyes of the rest of the school. Well all right, not alone, he supposed. But certainly not among the masses that they had recently been standing in. The room filled with the sound of bottoms hitting benches, the wood screeching against the stone floors, until it was once again silent.

"Very good." He said, nodding his head. "Now..." He trailed off, surveying the room. "We will start with your house." He informed them, nodding towards their table. Us? Arthur felt his heart leap in his chest, glancing nervously to his teammates who all looked as dumb struck as him. Clearly, no one was expecting such a formal introduction.

"State your house name." He requested, crossing his arms and waiting for a reply. Who wanted to be the one who spoke up in front of everyone? Arthur cast a look at Francis, who merely shrugged lightly as if it wasn't his problem. Damn bloody frog. He swore inwardly. Not that he was all to willing to volunteer either...

"Imperaturi." Feliciano piped up suddenly, smiling brightly. "That's our house." Arthur could practically the collective sigh of relief from the rest of the group. For once, it seemed they were all praising the peppy Italian's air headedness that gave him the courage to speak up.

"Imperaturi." He said slowly, as if mulling over the name. "That is quite an interesting name, particularly it's Latin translation. Does one of you happen to speak it?"

"Two of us." Feliciano chirped. "My brother and I, but we're not all that fluent." Soft murmurings of disbelief broke out amongst the students, but were quickly silenced by another raise of the headmaster's hand.

"Ah. I see, so you must be our international group." He mused. "Our very first. I daresay you should all be proud to have been chosen for such a house."

International? The word bounced around the room inquisitively, breaking the silence that the headmaster had just previously restored. They really were an oddity in the teams, weren't they?

"If you don't mind," The man began again, breaking off the student conversation. "Could I have the name of your leader?"

Leader? Arthur felt the unspoken shock rippled through his team at the request. They hadn't been informed that they needed a leader. What were they supposed to say, 'we don't have one'? Not in front of the headmaster, and certainly not in front of the whole school.

"Wouldn't that be Ludwig?" Francis murmured in his ear.

"I guess but don't he and Alfred kind of share the responsibility?" He hissed back quietly.

"What do we say?" He caught Roderich's voice whisper to Ludwig on the other side of the table. The whole group had broken out into a chorus of curious mutterings, wondering what they were to do in such a situation, while all the while, the headmaster stood patiently waiting, eyes on them as he waited for an answer.

"Uh, sir?" Alfred's voice rose suddenly, forcing the group to quiet and turn their attention to him. Arthur felt his breath catch in his throat. You idiot! Don't screw anything up! He begged silently, suddenly wishing it had been Ludwig who had spoken instead of Alfred.

"We weren't under the impression we needed to choose a group leader." He stated blatantly. "After all, isn't the point of the houses to enforce teamwork? What's the use in that if there's one person ordering everyone else around? Seems a little bit roundabout."

You twat! Arthur hissed inwardly. Of all the things he could have said, it had to be something like that? Arthur readied himself for the worst, waiting for the headmaster to begin lecturing them about talking back to the elders and being disrespectful and whatnot. But to his surprise, it never came. The man only allowed an amused smile to find his lips and let out a low chuckle.

"That is a very accurate statement young man." He agreed. "It would defeat the point of the house system now wouldn't it?" Arthur felt himself visibly deflate with relief. He wasn't mad. Some how, that goddamned idiot had pulled them out of trouble yet again.

"The house leaders are merely for formalities; announcing group happening's when necessary, vouching for their house, delivering group opinion. The leader themselves, actually have no more power then any of the other students in the house. They simply act as a mediator at times." He explained. "I suppose group mediator would be a better term for it, would it not?" Alfred nodded.

"In that case," Soren said suddenly. "I guess our mediator would be Alfred. All in favor?"

Arthur glanced around at the rest of the students, all of whom were watching with interest at the events unfolding before them. It seemed a little odd to be conducting a vote like this, but whatever. Five hands shot up instantly, Soren's, of course, Matthew's, Antonio's. Elizaveta's and Kiku's. Then, slowly but surely, everyone else's hand rose as well. Gilbert seemed a little disgruntled at not being suggested, but non-the less, raised his hand in support of Alfred.

He felt his own hand twitch at his side as he watched the others go up. It wouldn't look good if he was the obvious outlier in the group. Not for their house or for himself. Suppressing an annoyed sigh, he lifted his hand into the air just as Ivan and Romano's went up. That was the last of them then.

"It looks as if a decision has been reached." The headmaster nodded. "That wasn't so difficult, was it?" He added, ALMOST teasingly, although Arthur had a hard time picturing a man like him saying anything in that manner. "Very well, Imperaturi, I wish you luck." They all nodded and quickly slid back into their seats. God that was mortifying, although Arthur would never admit it aloud.

"Can we have the next group?" He asked, eyes flitting to a group at the other end of the room, with a carving of an open book at the head of their table.

"We're the Cædmon house." A tall, brown haired boy informed him immediately. "I have been chosen as our mediator."

"Cædmon." The headmaster mused thoughtfully. "If I remember correctly, he was the earliest English poet, at least who's name was known..."

"That is correct sir." The boy replied swiftly. The headmaster nodded, waving for them to sit down.

"Very good then. Next group?"

Arthur suppressed the horrible embarrassment gnawing at his gut. That group had been so sure of themselves and precise, while they had stood floundering like idiots for God only knew how long. It seemed as if they really were going to turn out being the least cohesive group of the 24... Still, he couldn't help feeling even the tiniest hint of pride that it had been a member of their group that had coined the phrase 'mediator' as opposed to leader. Not that he was proud of Alfred, just glad that they hadn't looked like complete screw-ups.

"We're Vhenelment." A shorthaired blonde replied. "And uh," he glanced around his group. "I'm the mediator for us..."

Arthur felt himself relax ever so slightly. Well, they hadn't been perfect either, although you couldn't call their introduction nearly as horrendous as theirs.

"Excellent." The headmaster said. "Our last group of course, is replacing the former Script house after their graduation to international. It is a pleasure to welcome you all as members of a fine house." Arthur couldn't quite get a look at them, as their table was situated at the complete opposite end of the room. But something about one of them, at least from his angle, seemed vaguely familiar.

"Now that that is finished, you are all welcome to eat lunch. Oh and another thing, these four students," he stated, gesturing to Laura and the three boys standing beside her, "Are our schools four student leaders. They act as substitutes for teachers when they are not present, and they have the right to order anything of any student, as long as they are not abusing their privileges. We have them to keep order around the school, when it is needed. Please do not hesitate to ask them if you need help. That is all." With a final nod at the students, he stepped quickly down the steps and was met by polite clapping before he disappeared out the door, along with the small group of teachers that had accompanied him. The room instantly became noisy, as students at every table began to eat and chat amongst themselves.

"Well that was interesting." Antonio chuckled, slumping against the table.

"No kidding." Yao muttered. "I thought we were going to die. Seriously, what kind of introduction was that anyway?"

"He could have asked us more questions though." Ivan put in, startling Arthur. No matter how many times the tall Russian spoke, it never ceased to surprise him. He supposed that Ivan was going to take some serious getting used to...

"True enough." Yao shrugged. "Well whatever, I'm just glad we get to eat."

"I don't actually believe you eat." Ivan said incredulously. "You are so very tiny after all."

"Who asked you?" Yao grumbled irritably, once again shocking Arthur with his boldness around Ivan. He seemed to be one of the few of them who wasn't the slightest bit wary of the enormous boy, and it baffled Arthur to no end. Ivan could easily snap someone like Yao in two. Yet the Chinese boy acted as if he was speaking to some one much younger and much much smaller then himself.

"No one, I suppose." Ivan replied evenly, eyes glinting. "But I am entitled to my input am I not? It is one of the luxuries that I have most appreciated since moving to this country. In my home, people were not so lax with their tongues."

"Neither were they in mine." Yao snorted. "Which is why I take any opportunity I can get to say what I want to. Kiku can you give me some of that... stuff next to you?" He asked, abruptly turning the conversation. Ivan didn't seem the least bit put off by it. In fact, his eyes still held that odd sort of glint that they had when he was speaking with the onyx haired boy. Arthur silently prayed for Yao's safety before turning to lunch.

"That was amazing Alfred." He heard Matthew say to the American. "I can't believe the courage it must have taken to say that!" Arthur snorted. More like idiocy.

"Arthur you're not going to eat?" Francis inquired, helping himself to a delicious looking sandwich. Arthur nodded.

"Yes of course I am frog." He muttered, grabbing a similar looking sandwich. "I was just thinking is all..."

"Bet I can guess what about." Francis bragged in a singsong voice. An image of Alfred flashed in his mind, and Arthur nearly choked on his food.

"Excuse me?" He coughed, shooting his friend a pointed glare. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but do NOT make such assumptions."

"I thought you said you didn't know what I was talking about." Francis snickered, dodging a well-aimed punch.

"Never mind that." Arthur spat. "Just drop it Francis."

"What ever you say Arthur." Francis replied nonchalantly.

"Hey guy's! Whatcha talking about?" Arthur nearly jumped out of his seat, turning to see Laura, once again standing behind them, smiling brightly. This time, Lars accompanied her.

"Ah noth-"

"Oh just Arthur's love life, what else?" Francis chuckled before Arthur could get a word in.

"I'm going to make you wish you hadn't said that." Arthur growled, grabbing the front of the French boy's shirt menacingly. Even as friends, they'd had their fair share of fights, and Arthur usually came out on top. Although in all honesty, he was a little out of practice, despite all his scuffling with Alfred as of late.

"Hey you two no fighting in front of a school leader." Laura warned seriously. "I could report you two." Arthur instantly withdrew his hand, snapping it to his side.

"Oh don't worry I won't." She laughed. "I know you guy's are friends, so it's cool. Just don't beat each other up on campus ok?"

"You know you shouldn't be encouraging that sort of stuff." Lars sighed.

"I'm not encouraging it." Laura argued. "I'm just being less uptight then Jack, Finn and Kail is all. They're the three other leaders you saw up there." She said, turning her attention back to Francis and Arthur. "Now what were we talking about?"

"Laura!" Elizaveta cried, popping out of her seat. "Hey you showed up again!"

Laura smiled excitedly, as if she was seeing an old friend, not someone she had met only once several days before. "Oh my gosh Lizzie! I completely forgot to say hello before!" She cried happily. "Hi! I'm actually a student here ya know? It's kind of confusing but whatever, it's good to see you again!"

"Yea you too." Elizaveta laughed, greeting the other girl with a high five as she walked around the table. "If I had known you'd be here, I would have brought that book! What are you guy's taking about?"

"Arthur's love life." Laura giggled.

"We are not!" Arthur growled.

"Really now?" Elizaveta smiled. "I'd like to here about that."

"Well you don't get to because I don't have one." Arthur muttered, slamming his head against the table in embarrassment.

"He keeps saying that." Francis sighed.

"He's just being modest." Elizaveta chuckled. "After all..." She leaned over and whispered something in Laura's ear that positively lit her face up.

"Really!" She squeaked. "Aw man can I switch houses with you? You're so lucky to be staying with a group of only guy's!"

"What's with all the noise?" Alfred piped up over the girls, standing to greet Laura.

They took one look at him and burst into another violent fit of giggles. "Nothing, nothing." Laura laughed, wiping tears from her eyes. "Oh man I should introduce you to Lili and Mei, Lizzie. Oh it is ok if I call you that right?"

"Yea of course." Elizaveta chuckled. "And who are they?"

"Only like my best friends." Laura stated brightly. "You three would get along so great, I can totally tell. Mei's a fan too. Lili is a little more nervous about the whole thing but she still gets into it from time to time. You should have seen her boyfriends FACE when he found out. It was too funny! Of course he's a total sweetheart, so he got over it and they're still together." Laura went on. Arthur stared at the girl, trying desperately to make sense of the conversation. He got nothing.

"Oh this again." Lars grumbled, rolling his eyes. Arthur glanced up at his annoyed face. It was clear he'd heard this all before, and knew exactly what was going on. "You and your obsession with that stuff... it's not healthy you know."

"Oh it's fine." Laura insisted. "Don't be such a stick in the mud. Oh right, Lars this is Elizaveta. Elizaveta this is Lars, he's a... member of my house."

"Nice to meet you." Elizaveta said politely, shaking his hand.

"Yea... likewise." Lars replied.

"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" Alfred whined. Arthur glanced to the side to see the American still standing there, hands on his hips.

"It's best if you don't know." Laura chuckled. He tossed her a look.

"No really man, you don't want to know." Lars assured him.

"Guess I'll take your word for it." He replied, casting a wary glance at Elizaveta and Laura. "Oh yea I didn't introduce myself huh?" He said, sticking his hand out. "I'm Alfred Jones."

"Lars." The ash blonde boy replied, shaking Alfred out stretched appendage.

"Do you have a last name?" Alfred asked, rolling his eyes.

"Yea, but that's exclusively for people I'm close to." He replied smugly. They stared each other down for a second, before the pair burst out laughing, passing each other a high five. Amazing. All he had to do was say hello and he already had a friend. Arthur felt a twinge of jealousy tug in his gut. Compared to Alfred, he was just...

"Hey, what time does lunch end?" Alfred cut into Arthur's thoughts loudly.

"In about ten minutes." Laura confirmed. "So hurry up and eat, because you might want to get a head start to your next class. Oh! And don't forget to run by the history hall in the west wing. That's where the point tally's are kept."

"Point tallies?" Arthur asked, cutting back into the conversation. She nodded.

"Yea. You guy's should already be up there."

"Well if I'm on that side of school." Alfred reasoned. "I don't know if I want to go out of my way running around like that... isn't there an easier way to check?"

"Most teachers have it on their computers if you ask." Laura informed him.

"Sweet." Alfred grinned. "I want to see how we're doing."

"It's the first day you idiot." Arthur snorted. "We probably don't have any yet. If it weren't for me we'd be down points."

"Oh would you quit harping on that?" Alfred muttered.

"Not until you admit I'm right and if it weren't for me you would have lost points." Arthur insisted stubbornly.

"See? These two are always at it like this." Francis chuckled from beside him, breaking off from his conversation across the table with Antonio.

"Really?" Laura asked curiously. She didn't sound the least bit upset that students were fighting. More intrigued then anything.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Alfred asked stiffly. "It's not like I'm the one who starts it anyway. It's always him."

"Oh yea right." Arthur growled. "Sure, it's always my fault. Typical."

"It is." Alfred hissed. "If it weren't for you, my arm-" He stopped suddenly, shaking his head. "No, never mind." He muttered, rubbing his hand over his injured arm. Arthur winced, remembering the boy's pained face as he popped his arm back in, as Arthur looked over his ripped up skin, while they carried each other home... It was making him nauseous.

"Sorry." He offered lamely, not wanting to think about their experience in the woods any longer.

"It's fine." Alfred replied.

"Wait, Alfred did something happen to your arm?" Laura cut in worriedly.

"Oh my goodness!" Elizaveta cried. "We completely forgot to tell someone! Alfred's arm got really beat up yesterday. Ludwig did a good job of patching it, but we were afraid it needed stitches..."

"It doesn't need stitches." Alfred insisted. "It'll be fine."

"No no, you need to go to the nurse." Laura insisted. "Oh gosh Alfred, why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"It doesn't hurt." He muttered begrudgingly.

"Don't care. You need to go to the nurse ASAP."

"But what about class." Alfred argued.

"No but's." She insisted firmly. "The nurse's office is in the north wing. It's not hard to miss. Do you have anyone who has the same class next?"

"Dunno." He sighed. "I think I have PE."

"Wait, you have PE?" Arthur asked incredulously. "There's absolutely no way..." He rummaged through his backpack, yanking out the schedule. Last two were after lunch today, so that meant... "PE!" He yelled. "I have it too, are you serious?"

"Perfect!" Laura smiled brightly. "Arthur, you take him down there, and once the nurse has looked him over you two can head over to class together."

"Not a chance." They growled in unison.

"Go." She said, pulling Arthur to his feet. "That's an order as a student leader."

"Good luck!" Francis laugh, a bemused expression adorning his face.

"You ass." Arthur seethed at him. Francis simply chuckled and turned back to his conversation with Antonio.

"Hey where are you going Al?" Soren asked, suddenly realizing that his friend was leaving.

"Nurse." He grumbled. "Leader's orders..."

"Do you want us to take you?" Matthew offered.

"No no he's got that covered." Laura insisted, shoving the two of them in the same direction. "Arthur has PE next too, so he's going to take him." Soren gave her a look that said 'do you know what you're doing'?

"Go!" She insisted. "I don't want you being to late. If you are, tell coach what happened and that Laura told you to go. He'll understand. Oh and you guy's will probably be in the gym sine the storm clouds moved back in."

"They did?" Arthur exclaimed, turning towards the wide glass windows. Indeed they had. How did he miss something like that?

"Yup. The gym isn't to hard to find, I promise." She insisted. "I'll see you guy's later, alright?"

"Come on." Alfred sighed in front of him. "Let's just go and get this over with..." Nodding in agreement, Arthur followed behind him, giving a last glance at Laura waving goodbye before looking ahead and fixing his eye's on Alfred's back. He kept no less then five feet behind him the whole way there.

O ~ O ~ O

"You're going to need those stitches in for a couple weeks." The nurse informed Alfred as he leaned back in a wooden chair. "I'll call you back in when they should come out. You're very lucky Mr. Jones. Whoever wrapped your wounds was very skilled, and that kept it from seriously bleeding out and becoming infected. I had to inject a small dose of medication to numb the pain, seeing as you were cut up pretty bad. You might feel a little dizzy and... strange in a couple minutes, but it passes quickly."

"Thank you." Alfred grunted, eye's clamped shut at what Arthur could only guess was the still present pain from the stitching. Clearly whatever she had given him hadn't kicked in yet.

"I'll be back in ten minutes, I'm going to go down to the gym and tell coach myself about this. He's not to keen on letting students out with just a note from me. Thinks they fake them or something." She sighed. "Don't leave the room, and don't touch anything. Mr. Kirkland, I'm counting on you to watch him when the drug starts taking affect. Don't let him do anything stupid."

"You mean more stupid then normal?" Arthur snickered, crossing his arms. She waved him off, gathering a handful of papers.

"Just behave yourselves."

He nodded and with a final glance at them, the older woman disappeared out the door. Great. Stuck here for ten minutes. Arthur thought miserably. He glanced back at Alfred who was squeezing the edge of the chair so tightly it looked like it was about to snap. Did it really hurt so badly? The skin was raw, and she had put a lot of antiseptics on it. Arthur reasoned. And the stitches themselves couldn't have been too pleasant either. Alfred looked like he was in absolute misery. An image of him the day before in the woods flashed through his mind again. He violently shook it out, turning his attention to the lazy ceiling fan spinning around above them.

"_Mnn_." Alfred groaned, hunching over in the chair. "_Ah god_."

Arthur felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle. Maybe that numbing drug hadn't been such a good idea... He glanced at Alfred and then back at the door. It would do no good running after her now. Besides, she'd already told him to stay with the American.

"Ah... um does it hurt." He asked tentatively.

"Not anymore I just feel... weird." Alfred panted. "I wonder if it was ok for me to take that? Oh fuck what if I'm allergic to whatever it was?"

"I'm sure you're fine." Arthur insisted, looking away. His hands twitched, and he glanced back at the writhing boy. It wouldn't hurt to help him just this once... and then Alfred would owe him again. After all, he still owed him for the Francis thing. He didn't think it could hurt if he added something else to his payment.

"Do you want me to get you water?" Arthur asked, pushing himself to his feet. Alfred nodded weakly. Ok, water. Arthur thought, digging through the nurse's cabinets until he happened upon a stack of little plastic cups. Perfect. He strode over to the sink, filling the container a little over half way before venturing back over to Alfred in his chair. He really wasn't looking great. Arthur lowered himself to the floor, sitting cross-legged in front of the sweating blonde and handing him the cup.

"Here." He offered. Alfred took it immediately, drinking it down in three large gulps.

"Don't do that! Then you'll have a stomach ache you twat." Arthur snapped, reaching out in an attempt to snatch the cup from his hand. Apparently, the drug hadn't had any affect on Alfred's reflexes, because mid swipe, the boy clasped his fingers firmly around Arthur's wrist.

"Hey let go." He growled, trying to yank his hand away. Alfred shook his head, still breathing hard.

"Let go." Arthur insisted, shoving Alfred's shoulder. "Come on you idiot."

"Don't wanna." Alfred muttered, not meeting his eyes.

"Any why not?" Arthur snarled, still desperately trying to free his hand.

"Your skin is cold." Alfred replied, head hanging so that his face was completely shadowed by his bangs.

"To match my cold heart right?" Arthur replied stiffly. "Well I'm glad my lack of human emotion is of some use to you, you- augh!" He flinched as a drop of Alfred's sweat plopped onto his skin, rolling gently down is arm. The heat was incredible. He must have really been burning up.

"Dear god you're boiling." Arthur hissed, wiping the salty water off his skin. "Let go of me and let me feel your head. I know it's just the drug, but it's not good if your temperature goes to high." He insisted. Reluctantly, he felt Alfred unclamp his wrist, and Arthur pulled back quickly, still not quite sure what to make of the situation. Was this panting, mess of a boy really the same one who had stood so defiantly before the headmaster, and the whole school, not even an hour before?

Slowly, Arthur pressed his palm to Alfred's perspiring forehead. Alfred let out a soft 'ah' at the sudden cold feel on his skin, but otherwise kept perfectly still. "You're really warm." Arthur muttered. "Do you want me to get you ice?" Alfred shook his head, catching Arthur off guard by leaning into his touch.

"Your hand is enough." He replied wearily. Arthur felt blood rush to his cheeks, and no matter how hard he pushed it down, it simply would not go. Alfred was acting so strange. So, un-Alfred like. Not that he really had a right to say that, considering they had known each other three days and wanted to pummel each others faces in more then half the time. Even so...

"Alfred, you really have to-" THAT caught the other boy's attention. Arthur realized instantly that he'd accidently said the Americans name, and he swore inwardly at his screw up. His glazed over cerulean eye's suddenly snapped to attention, and as if he just realized what was going on, yanked his face away from Arthur's hand, pushing the chair back.

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit." He swore, still breathing heavily, but eye's clearly much more alert. "What happened? Where's the nurse? And why the fuck are you STARING at me like that?" He snapped.

Arthur shrugged, trying to think of something desperately off the top of his head to come back with. "You were acting strange, that's all." He replied nonchalantly. He fought back the urge to wipe Alfred's sweat on his pants, fearing that if he did, Alfred might suspect something.

"Ah god my head." He moaned. "Hurts like a fucking bitch. Ugh I feel miserable. Must be the after effects..."

"Yea, guess so." Arthur stammered, scooting himself away from the chair and standing up. "The nurse should be back in less then five minutes..."

"She left?" Alfred cried, clearly surprised.

"You don't remember? She said she was leaving just after she mentioned the affects of the drug..."

Alfred shook his head, lying back in the chair. "I don't remember anything." Thank god. Arthur breathed inwardly. His hands still felt odd from the touch of Alfred's skin.

"What the hell were you doing down there?" Alfred asked suddenly, as if just realizing Arthur's position when he had come to his senses.

"You wanted water..." Arthur muttered begrudgingly. "And you wouldn't lift your head up so I sat down to give it to you."

"Oh..." Alfred responded lamely. "Well uh... thanks I guess..." He trailed off, staring at ceiling as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. "So then... why were you touching my face?"

Arthur felt his stomach jump into his chest, blood running cold. "Wha-what?" He stammered, clenching his fists at his sides as if he couldn't believe Alfred would ever fathom something like that.

"You... weren't?" Alfred frowned, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. He doesn't remember clearly. Arthur realized. He must have some vague feeling that something like that happened but he's not sure.

"Of course not." Arthur shot back. Better to flat out deny everything then have to deal with explaining what had happened. Just the thought made him sick to his stomach. "You're delirious."

"Guess so." Alfred muttered, rubbing his hand against his forehead. "So..." He began. "How were your classes?" Arthur simply stared at him. Was he trying to create idle chatter? He'd never thought Alfred Jones to be the type to do that. Particularly not with someone he so clearly despised. He found himself both amused and put off at the thought.

"Fine." He shrugged. Although they had been anything but. His teachers had been nice enough, and the courses certainly had seemed interesting. The real problem lay in his introduction. It always did. The sheer moment his first period teacher had asked (with a rather taken aback look in her eye) for him to confirm his name, the whole class had burst out into chatter. He couldn't blame them he supposed. After all, Kirkland was certainly not one of the most frequent surnames in England. But after several minutes of pestering; assuring that no of course there was no relation, and yes it was just luck, and even that he honestly had no idea what they were talking about, the questions finally ceased and he was left to peace. At least, he would have liked it that way.

In reality, he had eyes glued on him the entire class. He could hear them whispering about him at the back of the classroom, pointing fingers, asking silent questions amongst themselves. The girls in particular, were a real bother. He'd been approached by far to many already today. It didn't bother him to be noticed by pretty girls of course, he didn't think any boy would be upset about that. No, it was more that he knew they were only taking notice because of the rumors. He remembered in particular, one group that had just kept badgering. In his annoyance, he had begun to finger his silver studs, which to his horror, only lead them to be more interested in him. They acted like they had never seen a guy with earrings before.

It was obnoxious. He'd almost been happier at his old school where he'd been shunned.

"You're spacing out." Alfred snorted, breaking him from his thoughts.

"What?" He blinked, emerald eyes meeting the American's piercing blue ones.

"Nothing, you just seem upset is all." Alfred replied, not breaking eye contact.

"Not really." Arthur muttered crossing his arms and looking away. "Do you feel any better?" He didn't really care either way. He just wanted to avoid the subject of his day thus far.

"Sort of." Alfred shrugged. "That was some weird stuff though."

"You'll be fine." Arthur said, waving off his comment. "You're you after all." He felt his shoulders tense up in horror, surprised at himself for outwardly voicing his thoughts. "I mean you know," he stammered, spinning around to face Alfred. "It's just you're so dense that I doubt you'd ever get yourself in serious trouble."

"I don't know if that's supposed to be a compliment or an insult." Alfred chuckled. "But thanks."

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N**: Again, I apologize for the lateness here... I fail miserably I know... Xd Anyway, a lot of this is just drabble I'm aware of that but drabble is necessary at times I suppose lol. Oh yea! New characters! I bet plenty of you figured out who he was as soon as I started to describe him, but the headmaster is: GERMANIA! :D Yes i know, I messed with his personality a smidge XD I think he can still be demanding and good hearted though, and I know I would hate to face a scary principle in front of the whole school... I hadn't originally planned for him to be so... not strictish? He just kind of became that way so I went with it.

Hahahaha and I'm sorry to all of you who were expecting more out of the second part, but as you may have noticed this is not M... yet... Xd I know, I'm mean XD

The yaoi chat between Elizaveta and Laura made me laugh as I wrote it, not gonna lie xD Oh and pertaining to that, I suppose I should give you the other new characters:

Lili- Lichtenstein

Mei- Taiwan

And that's it as far as that goes... I tried my hand at putting in some rochu bits this chapter. Truth be told, I do ADORED rochu, but I also really like russialiet.(i go through phases with those two pairings XD ) that being said, I don't actually read much rochu fanfiction so I'm not even sure myself what makes me like the pairing, and what makes the relationship tick, so that shipping in particular is going to give me trouble. I apologize in advance for how long it's probably gonig to take to get their relationship going Xd

Thank you for your reviews! I'll see you next chapter ^^


	16. Marks and Mysteries

**A/N:** You know you're a hetalia fan when you bring your union jack on vacation with you because you don't want it alone with your French flag for a whole two weeks…

Thank's for all your reviews on the last chapter! It was nice to get them as I was driving across the nothingness XD I'm sorry this is late, but I did warn you guys so I hope you aren't to upset… Aghh I feel like I ha something important to say but I don't remember… **frowns** oh well it'll come back to me…

Onward!

O ~ O ~ O

Their trip from the nurse's office to the gym was uneventful. Save for taking a wrong turn or two, the duo managed to make it to class without any trouble (although they were quite late). Alfred's arm was still numb from the drug that the nurse gave him, but for the mot part, he was feeling better then ever. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was forgetting something, and it bothered him to no end. Arthur had told him that before he'd asked for water, Alfred had jut laid there nearly passed out for several minutes, but Alfred didn't quite buy it. In addition, there was that last bit... he had been so sure that he felt the Britons hand on his forehead before he was shaken from his stupor. Well, never mind that. He thought to himself. It's over now, just focus on the present.

Their coach had been a tad bit peeved at their late arrival, despite the nurse's interference with the situation, but when they mentioned Laura, he visibly brightened and shooed them into the locker rooms without another word. They found their uniforms sitting on their gym teacher's desk and inspected the insides for nametags, or some sort of size indication. No such luck.

"Did they sew these too?" Alfred marveled, staring at the front of gray shirt. "But how are we supposed to know which one belongs to me, and which one belongs to you?"

"Your last name is on the back of the shirt you idiot." Arthur sighed, picking up the remaining shirt and navy blue pants. "See? Jones." He said, turning the shirt around in Alfred's hands and pointing to his last name.

"Oh whaddaya know?" Alfred exclaimed, pushing aside the sarcastic tone to Arthur's voice. "So yours says Kirkland then?"

Arthur bristled visibly at the mention of his last name (which Alfred found peculiar. Who flinches at their own name) but quickly abandoning his discomfort, rolled his eyes and nodded in response.

"Obviously."

"Right." Alfred replied lamely, wondering why he even asked in the first place. Of course it said Kirkland, what else would it say? After a bit more exploring of the massive locker room, they retreated to their own respective parts of the room to change in privacy. Alfred tugged on the ends of the shirt, smiling at the fit. It was absolutely perfect. All except for the chest again... he shrugged it off. Probably just his imagination. After all, those measurements had been spot on after all.

"Hey Jones, are you coming?" Arthur called, poking his head around the corner to see if Alfred was done.

"Of course." Alfred replied, releasing the fabric from his hands and dusting them off absentmindedly. Arthur snorted, as if amused at finding the other boy admiring his garb, but said nothing, simply nodded and disappeared around the corner.

With a last quick tug on his shirt, Alfred jogged out behind him.

O ~ O ~ O

PE, as it was, was more like an overall sports class then any sort of training. After a couple laps around the monstrous gym (Alfred guessed it was about a little less then half the length of a football field) their teacher split them up to climb the rock walls of the building. Their teacher was an interesting sort. He gave no name, only insisted that they call him Coach, and to forget about formalities. He was loud and rather brash, but amusing nonetheless, as it was abundantly clear he had favorites already, and made no show of hiding this fact from the rest of the class.

That aside, the boys were met with another surprise besides their exuberant teacher.

"Berwald!" Alfred had exclaimed in a surprised, but quite pleased tone. He was happy to see the quiet Swede was also in their class, as it would give him some one other to talk to then Arthur. In fact, he couldn't have gotten luckier, as far as how the groups worked out. He was belaying for Berwald on the east wall with a group of other kids. Arthur was on the west with another boy from the Kindred house. Meaning he didn't even have to look at him if he didn't want to. And obviously, he didn't.

"You ok up there?" He called as his teammate shifted between one rock and another. He'd been stuck at the same point for a couple minutes, bouncing back and forth between two foot holds as if he was trying to make up his mind as to which way would be the more logical path.

"Hm." He responded, staring up at the all to far away glass ceiling. On a bright day, Alfred imagined that the sky light roof of the gym let in an incredible amount of light, and a gorgeous view of the mountains that they were pressed up against. Today however, the only view they were getting was of raindrops pattering against the glass, and the thick, low clouds from which they poured.

"I'm going to take that as a yes." He replied, more to himself then Berwald.

"What w's that?" Berwald called down.

"Oh, nothing!" To be honest, Alfred was glad it was Berwald who was braving the wall first. He wasn't afraid of heights per say, but he certainly wasn't fond of them, and he'd never climbed a rock wall before, so watching some one who obviously had more experience was helpful to say the least. Plus, if he remembered the path the boy took, he wouldn't have to map out his own and that would save him a heap of time and trouble.

"I th'nk I'm gonna get d'wn." Berwald admitted. "I don't th'nk I can make it fr'm this angle."

"What? Nonsense!" A voice boomed from behind him. Alfred nearly let go of the rope in his surprise.

"Of course you can make it. Now keep going." Coach insisted, tapping his foot against the old hardwood floor.

"I don't know Coach…" Alfred said. "If Berwald doesn't think he can make it, I think you should just let him come down. It'll be safer." For both of us. He added inwardly. If Berwald fell because he lost his footing, Alfred wasn't all that sure he could hold him up, and he didn't like the idea of the Swede falling on him. The blonde wasn't overweight by any measure, in fact for his height, Alfred would guess he was just about even, perhaps even a little bit under. Even so, he was tall and broad, and probably a good bit heavier then Alfred could hold because of it.

"No Alfr'd I'll keep go'n if that's wh't he wants." Berwald responded with a grunt, hauling himself upward unsteadily.

"That's a good lad!" Coach laughed heartily. "Most of you kids argue with me now a days. It's good to see a well brought up boy once in a while. Why when I was a boy-"

"Wah!" The room echoed with a cry from the other end of the room, interrupting coaches sermon Alfred turned his head to see what had happened, not daring to completely turn for fear that he would be unprepared if Berwald slipped suddenly. He choked back laugher at what he saw. Arthur was swinging limply from the side of the wall, eyes wide in surprise an arms flailing about as he tried to grab hold of the wall. His ginger haired partner was clenching his eyes shut as he tried to keep the bushy eye browed blonde up, despite all his thrashing.

"What's going on over there?" Coach shouted, mouth turning down in annoyance. "No playing around!"

"We're not!" Arthur gasped, scrambling to find his footing. "Sorry I just slipped is all."

"You sound like a girl when you scream!" Alfred offered, holding back a snicker. The room burst into a fit of amused giggling, and Alfred grinned triumphantly as Arthur shot him a smoldering glare.

"I don't see YOU climbing the wall." The Briton spat. "Why don't you try it before you start acting all high and mighty?"

"Alright you two, settled down." Coach cut in. "I'm all for house rivalries but take it some where else so I don't get in trouble for letting you fight."

"We're on the same team." Alfred grumbled.

"Oh, are you?" Coach raised his brown eyes brows in surprise. "You could have fooled me. In that case, I could take points from you for arguing ya know."

"Please don't." Berwald yelled down, apparently having cleared his hurdle.

"Why do you care? Don't tell me you're on the same team?"

Berwald nodded. "Yes, the three 'f us are 'n the same t'm."

Coach sighed. "Well if that's the case I'll let you two off the hook. But you're darn lucky to have Berwald here on your side or you wouldn't be so lucky."

"Thank you." They responded in unison.

"Alright, back to climbing, all of you!" Coach ordered, clapping his hands. "We've got another hour of class left and I don't want it wasted with staring!"

O ~ O ~ O

"I don't think I'm very goo at ropes." Alfred concluded, plopping down on one of the locker room benches. He hadn't fallen like Arthur, thank goodness for that, but his performance had been less then graceful, while Berwald had made it to the top on his first try, earning the team 10 points for it.

"You'll g't the hang 'f it." Berwald insisted, pulling his school uniform out of his locker as hoards of other boys poured in. "It j'st takes pr'ctice."

"Yea I guess." Alfred shrugged.

"Don't be so down Al." A brunette by the name of AJ said, patting his back. "Rock wall climbing is a bitch at first, but you get used to it after a while. Builds up your arm strength." AJ had been standing next to him while he spotted for Berwald, and as they waited for their partners to finish, the duo had struck up a conversation and hadn't ceased their chatting even when it had been their turn to climb. AJ was a loud, energetic freshman, much like himself, who had been placed into one of the existing houses, so wasn't new to the school (as of today anyway) or, apparently, to the walls.

"I've never had much upper arm strength I suppose." Alfred chuckled. "Oh well."

"App'rently n'ther does 'rthur." Berwald sighed, pulling off his gray shirt. "I don't kn'w what we're g'nna do with you tw' as far as competin' goes."

"Hey I'm not super weak." Alfred replied defensively. "I'm probably stronger then Arthur, and Francis, and Lukas, and Kiku, and definitely Tino." Berwald visibly perked at the mention of the smaller blonde and nodded, folding his shirt carefully as he placed it into his gym locker.

"Tino is pr'tty small." He agreed. "Alth'gh I wouldn't c'nt him out compl'tely."

"Seems like you two get along pretty well." Alfred commented, tossing a glance at Arthur as he entered the locker room.

"W'll enough. Though I d'nt think 'e l'kes me very m'ch. Oh hey 'rthur." He said, abruptly changing subjects and addressing the perturbed looking blonde. "What happened?"

Arthur shrugged, reaching up to his ears and twisting the cold metal balls around as a scowl settled itself on his face. "Nothing, it's fine." He replied, waving it off. A couple of the boys laughed as he stepped further into the locker room, teasing him about his reaction to the fall. Arthur blatantly ignored him and thrust a metal key in Alfred's face.

"Coach said to give you this. It's your locker key. The door number is on it of course."

"Thanks I guess." Alfred muttered, taking the key from his hand. "I'm honestly surprised you gave it to me. I at least thought you would have licked it or something…"

"Who say's I didn't?" Arthur replied, nonchalantly wandering over to his door. Alfred frowned and stared at the little scrap of metal as if the Briton had just handed him a ticking bomb.

"Gross. I don't want to touch your spit, Kirkland."

"Then you can give it back." Arthur said, pulling his (neatly folded) school clothes out of his bag and setting them down on a bench.

"Bastard." Alfred hissed, glancing at the number. 506. Just two down from Arthur. Go figure. He swore inwardly. God, what horrible demonic force keeps forcing us together? It's starting to piss me off. Snatching his own bag up, he plopped it down next to Arthur and forcing the key in the door, yanked it open.

"Oh I wasn't expecting you here." Arthur smirked, glancing at him. "To what do I owe the honor?"

"Oh shut up, you're just still mad about what I said in gym. Well it was true, you do scream like a girl." He growled.

"Who asked you, you tosser?" Arthur snapped, shoving him.

"Guy's knock 't off." Berwald warned from behind them. "We g't lucky th't Coach d'dnt take points aw'y 'cause of your f'ghting before, b't there's no gar'ntee he'll do it again, and you're gettin' loud."

Alfred snatched a peak over his shoulder and saw that he was right. Even though the noise hadn't disappeared, the majority of the boys were all looking at them, some with annoyance, most with amusement.

"Sorry." Arthur apologized.

"Yea, me too." Alfred put in. Berwald let out a gruff 'hm' and wandered back to his locker next to AJ.

"Look what you did you got us in trouble." Alfred hissed quietly once the room got noisy again.

"I got us in trouble? I beg to differ, you're the one who started yelling."

"But you-"

"Forget it." Arthur sighed. "Just get changed, we're going to be late for next period at this rate."

"Yea…" He agreed begrudgingly, tossing Arthur another glance. The Briton was staring down at the ends of his shirt as if he was trying to decide what to do with it. Isn't he the one who just said we should hurry and get changed? Alfred growled inwardly. So what's he doing just standing there? He shook his head and began pulling his shirt off. Whatever it is, it's his problem. He tsked under his breath at the cold air that swarmed his body as the fabric disappeared. When had the locker room gotten so cold?

Slipping his dress shirt back on, he fumbled with the buttons and gave another look at Arthur. He was still standing there, looking petrified as ever.

"What is the matter with you?" He finally asked, rubbing his arms to warm himself. "Are you cold or something?"

"Shut up!" Arthur snapped, turning to glare at him. "No, I'm not cold, not like you. That's pathetic; really, it's like a sauna in here. I can't believe you're actually cold."

"Geeze what's with you?" Alfred grumbled. "All I did was ask if you were cold. And for your information, it's like 50 degrees in here…"

"Well I'm not." He grumbled. "Mind your own business."

"Well you were the one who was saying how we need to hurry up. Aren't you going to change?"

"Of course!"

"Then hurry up! Everyone's almost gone, and the bell is going to ring in a minute."

"Right…" He trailed off, tugging at the bottom of the shirt slowly, tentatively, as if he were afraid. His eyes were continuously flitting about the room, as if he was waiting for everyone else to disappear. He's not embarrassed is he? Alfred snorted softly in amusement. He always figured guys like Arthur were so supposed to be brash and unafraid of anything. He had seemed that way up until now anyway… but that peaked the American's curiosity. What could he possibly afraid of? There were guys in the room that had been much scrawnier then him. Did he have some weird birthmark or something? Now he really wanted to see. Blackmail was a lovely thing, after all.

"Come on, there's barely anyone left, just take it off." Alfred insisted.

"What's it to you?" Arthur hissed. "Why don't you hurry and change? My affairs are none of your business."

"Cause you're being a hypocrite about this, and if you're late we're gonna lose points." Alfred pointed out. Arthur sighed in defeat, shaking his head as if he was asking himself why he was even having this conversation. Honestly, Alfred felt the same way. In one fluid movement, the Briton yanked his uniform off and snatched up his dress shirt before Alfred could say 'hero'. A second later, he was buttoning the top button and giving Alfred a satisfied smirk.

"There. Now you get moving too."

Suddenly, he's so much more confident. Alfred realized. He'd barely been able to glimpse the other boy's milky white abdomen before the shirt covered it up, but in that second, he could of sworn he'd seen something marring it, just above his hip. So he is hiding something. Alfred decided. Some horrible scar? A tattoo? God, would he love to know. That would be one more thing he'd have to use against the British boy, and he liked his arsenal to be full before going to war.

Begrudgingly, he turned back to his own clothes and hastily pulled on the rest of his school uniform just as the bell rang.

"Come on you twat, let's go." Arthur said, straightening his tie. "And for cripes sake, can't you tie that thing properly?"

"No. Matty did it this morning." He admitted, struggling with the long piece of cloth.

"Here let me do it." He growled, yanking the tie out of his hands and tugging it around his neck. Alfred glanced down at the fuming Briton as his fingers fumbled with the knot. He was standing a little to close for Alfred to be comfortable. He could easily reach up and knock Alfred in the jaw, or break his nose, or- his breath caught in his throat as Arthur's hand brushed against his neck in his effort to get the tie done. Yea. Definitely to close. This was not happening again.

"There." Arthur sighed, pulling back to admire his handiwork. "You're to tall, so I had a little trouble with the knot, but it'll do."

"Thanks." He said awkwardly, grabbing his bag off the bench. "Are we going to go?"

Arthur nodded, glancing at the clock on the wall. "I suppose we are."

O ~ O ~ O

"And so, welcome to criminology." Their teacher, Mr. Kaebern, announced brightly. "There are only a select number of you here, because there are only a select number of you who are apt for such a class. And so, I am proud to welcome you chosen few here today."

Alfred had to be honest. He hadn't really believed the piece of paper that had told him he had a class called criminology. What high school taught that? But after some searching, he finally found it. It was in the wing that was being rebuilt, so he had been around and under more then a couple broken staircases, leading him to wonder what exactly it was that had put the place in such a state.

There were only thirteen of them in the class, including himself, and no one that he recognized. Suddenly, he was wondering what kind of class this was exactly.

"Today, we will be having a pre-test. The first part of one to be specific. We will continue next class, because it is a long test, and I guarantee that none of you will finish it in the time allotted."

The class groaned, Alfred along with them. Just what he needed, a test on the first day of school.

"Don't worry." He chuckled. " I promise, this test is going to be a tad bit different then one of your normal ones. Here," He said, holding up a cream colored envelope in his hands, "I have 13 pictures, and 13 clues. Each of you will be getting one of each. In this school, I have hidden the objects presented to you. Your job, is to fine your object using only the clue I have given you. You will have today in class, and when I see you all again on Wednesday. We will discuss results on Friday when we have our shortened class period. Does everyone understand?"

Alfred felt excitement twinge in his gut. A scavenger hunt? Awesome! This class wasn't so bad after all. He was always good at hide and go seek, so this shouldn't be any different.

"Excuse me sir." A brunette named Kara from the back of the room called suddenly. "I hate to sound rude, but what does this have to do with criminology?"

"Ah that's the question, isn't it?" Mr. Kaebern laughed, pushing his glasses up off the bridge of his nose. "One that I hope you will have learned by the end of this test. Now, when I hand you your paper and clue, you may be off. No conferring with others, no cheating. Oh, and don't bother looking for them outside of class, I will have the objects removed when the test ends today. Speaking of which, I want you all back at 5 'till the final bell, all right? No later."

"But what if we use those 5 minutes to find the thing we're looking for?" Argued Greg, a spiky haired blonde boy who had already proved himself to be a troublemaker. Not that Alfred was to much better himself.

"I already told you, what you're looking for won't be there at the end of the testing period. No more questions, you're all wasting precious time." He clapped his hands "I'll hand your things out now."

The few students that seemed to be acquainted already broke out into nervous chatter. What kind of test was this? Alfred was itching to get started. This would be a piece of cake.

"Here you are, Mr. Jones." His teacher said, placing a white envelope on his desk. "I wish you luck."

Alfred nodded vigorously, and before the man could even give another letter away, he was out the door.

When he was a good ways away from the room, he ripped open his envelope, eager to find out what his object was. Gently, he pulled out a small semi gloss photo, tilting it away from the light to get a better look at it. It looked like a brass key. A large key at that, one of those old types from the middle ages that they used to lock prisoners up, or to close vaults. He felt around the rest of the envelope and frowned. Where was his clue? The back of the photo maybe? He wondered. He flipped it over. Bingo.

"This key leads to something you need." Alfred read aloud. He glanced at the bottom of the photo for continuation. There was none. "What the fuck?" Alfred muttered, flipping over the image again. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He sighed, running his hand through his hair and looking back at the clue. How was he supposed to find one key in a place this big? And with a clue that didn't even hint at the location. Just that whatever it as, apparently Alfred needed it.

"Damn." He swore, stuffing the photo in his pocket and looking around. Where was he supposed to start with this?

"Think Jones." He muttered under his breath. If he couldn't use the clue and the picture itself, maybe something Mr. Kaebern had said would help lead him to it.

"_Oh, and don't bother looking for them outside of class, I will have the objects removed when the test ends today."_

Well there was that, to start with. He was going to be taking the objects away at the end of the test, so that meant that they had to be somewhere easily accessible, and most likely, somewhere where students wouldn't be to see him do so. So not outside. He thought. And probably not in the halls anywhere. We would see him creeping around. But wait… he frowned.

_"I already told you, what you're looking for won't be there at the end of the testing period."_

What they were looking for wouldn't be there at the end… but the end was 5 minutes before class ended. So unless he started taking objects away before the test was over, there was no way to ensure they would be gone. Unless…

"Of course!" He exclaimed, starting hurriedly down the hall. There were other people in on it! When the clock hit 4:50, they would take the objects away and no one would be the wiser. Mr. Kaebern wouldn't even have to leave the room. And no one would be suspicious of a couple teachers or students wondering around. Heck, if the items were in classrooms (which he highly suspected), the teachers would only have to stick them in their pockets and there would be no trace of what they were searching for.

"So, there are other people in on this, and it's more likely then not, in a classroom. It could be under the watch of either a student or a teacher. More likely a teacher, but who knows. Maybe he gave them to his old students…"

And he couldn't rule out the fact that they were a small class, in a very VERY well connected school. It was probable that he had access to their schedule, their teammates, perhaps even more information that Alfred was sure was circulating through the system. And who was to say the object was in one place? Maybe the person who was watching it also had it on them. So not only would he have to figure out where it was in the school, but who was holding on to it. And then he would have to be sure, before he went and asked.

No matter how you thought about it, it was impossible. They had simply been given to little information, and to broad a range of answers. That being said, it would make sense to start with his own classes, and people he knew, if he could find them that is.

"I'll start with English." He decided. He wouldn't have any trouble getting Ms. Walker to let him snoop around a little. She was easy going, and liked him. And if she did have the key, she would probably tell him. PE would be pretty easy too. He could just sneak into the lockers while Coach was out in the gym.

No, the real problem came with biology. There was no way Mr. Palmer would just let him burst in and start rummaging through stuff. I'll figure it out on Thursday. He decided. Hopefully, one of his earlier guesses would be correct and he wouldn't have to check there. And of course there were his other classes that he hadn't been to yet.

"Ok, English…" He trailed off, looking around. Crap. He had left his schedule in the classroom (who would have thought he needed it?) and he couldn't remember what room he was. Or what wing for that matter.

"Augh." He grumbled. "I'll wander and see if I can find familiar ground. And I can look around while I'm at it. Not that I think it will do much good but it can't hurt while I'm lost anyway.

He sauntered down the hall, peering around corners and trying to get his bearings. He must have wandered for about 20 minutes, until finally, he plopped on the ground and let out a frustrated growl. This was getting him nowhere! There had to be someone who could tell him which way to go…

A surprised shriek echoed suddenly through the halls, yanking him from his thoughts and pushing him to his feet. Sounded like a girl tripped around the corner.

"Hey are you ok?" He called, jogging around the bend. A person lay sprawled on the floor, books in a piled mess around them. They groaned pushing themselves into a sitting position and as if just realizing he was there, nodded vigorously.

"Yes I'm ok!" He (Alfred realized by the obvious uniform difference that it was most definitely not a girl) stammered, hurrying to gather his books off the floor.

"Hey let me give you a hand." He offered, crouching to grab one of the hardbacks. The Count of Monte Cristo.

"Oh no it's ok!" The flustered brunette insisted. "I'm terribly sorry to have troubled you. I was just on my way from the library and I couldn't see over my books so I uh…"

"You walked into the wall?" Alfred guessed, handing it to him. The boy nodded sheepishly, accepting it gratefully.

"Yes… I suppose I checked out one to many…"

"You think?" Alfred chuckled. "How many do you have here? Ten?"

"Fifteen, actually." He replied, picking up a paperback called 'War and Peace' near Alfred's knee.

"Fifteen?" He gaped. "And this stuff looks like some serious reading…" He wasn't lying. Even he recognized the Count of Monte Cristo, and he guessed there wasn't a book in there under eight hundred pages.

"I like to read." He chuckled, restacking the books carefully. " You could say it's a hobby. Keeps my mind off things."

"Geeze, I could never read this much in one sitting." Alfred admitted. "I don't even know if I've read this much in my entire life." The boy laughed.

"Oh I'm sure you have, if you made it here." He assured him, struggling to pick up the looming stack of literature.

"Thanks. And why don't we split it in half?" Alfred offered. "I'll walk with you to where you need to go so you don't end up dropping it again."

"Oh would you?" The boy exclaimed, green eyes lighting up. "Are you sure it's not to much trouble? I mean, I would hate to bother you, really. And don't you have class?"

"I could say the same to you." Alfred chided. "Come on, it's fine. Just lead the way."

"Thank you." The boy said graciously, picking up 6 of the books from the pile.

"Any time." Alfred laughed. "Just don't walk into things anymore."

"I'll try." He smiled, starting down the hall. "My girlfriend's always going on about that. She say's I should be more careful, and that one of these day's I'm going to kill myself with a book."

"She sound's smart." Alfred laughed, jogging to catch up with him.

"She is." The boy said, face lighting up at the mention of her. "She's smart, and beautiful, and really sweet, once you get to know her. Although I suppose she can seem a little rough around the edges once you first meet her. But one she warms up to you she's just the most darling girl."

"Sounds like you really like her." Alfred offered.

"Yea." He sighed, smiling warmly.

"So you guys have been going to this school together for a while then?" He inquired.

The boy shook his head. "Oh no. Actually, we're both freshman."

"Seriously?" Alfred gaped. "But that means you were going out before you got here right? So you both got transferred here?"

He shook his head. "Wrong again! We met when school started. We're not part of the new houses, we just got placed into some of the old teams. We both ended up in Republic, so that's how we met."

"Republic?" He asked, cocking his head. "Wait, so Laura's in your house?"

"Yea!" He smiled. "That's right, she is. She actually introduced my girlfriend and I."

"No kidding." Alfred chuckled. "That sounds just like her. So you guy's must of hit off right away huh?"

"Well not really." He smiled. "Actually, she really hated me for the first week. But then when our team started planning for the first challenge, we got to talk more and she warmed up to me. I'd liked her from the first day of course so I was really glad that we were becoming friends. Of course I never dreamed we'd start dating, so you can imagine my surprised when she asked me to be her boyfriend."

"Sound's like something out of a book." Alfred chuckled. "So you guy's have been dating for about a month then?" He nodded.

"Yea. About a month. She was really sweet about asking me. She said she was nervous, because it had been a while since she'd really liked someone. Apparently the last boy she liked broke her heart, poor thing. I can't imagine what boy out there would ever break up with a sweet girl like her."

"Well she's got you now, right?" Alfred grinned, nudging him lightly. His green eyes lit up, and he blushed fiercely.

"Yea. And I'm going to take really good care of her." He promised, more to himself then Alfred.

"I'd bet my life on that." He smiled. How weird. He didn't even know this kid's name, and yet he knew more about him now then some of his own teammates. An image of Arthur flickered in his head, but he shoved it away.

"Oh! Well here's my stop." He said suddenly, halting beside a pair of doors. "Thanks so much for your help! I probably would have tripped again if it weren't for you"

"Like I said, no big deal." Alfred assured him, placing his own stack gingerly into the boy's arms.

"Well, I'll see you later…" He tilted his head, asking a silent question.

"Alfred." He told him. "I'm Alfred."

"My name's Toris." He smiled pushing the door open. "I'll see you later Alfred."

And with a swing of the oaken wood, he was gone. It was then, that Alfred realized he had forgotten to ask for directions.

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:** Yay! Only one day late!

So I was zonked last night, and only managed to fiish half of this… and then finished it today lol. I'm just so happy to be here at last… **groans** But god, the humidity. Seriously, how do people live like their swimming in a bowl of water? I want my 110 and dry back! XD Oh well, it's only for a while. And I actually get to see fireworks for the fourth of July here, so that's awesome! Im wondering if some of you aren't in my neck of the woods right now… I know I passed by two of my reviewers towns on my drive XD **waves**

Anyway… I think that's all …. Oh! New character ! yay! And he is a hetalia charater of course :D

Toris: Lithuania

Lol and I'm sure all of you can figure out who his Girlfriend is…

Well, until next week :D Oh and I'm sorry this is so short ahaha...


	17. Prying and Poe

**A/N:**I'm sorry this is late! I FINALLY remembered what that important thing I had to tell you guys was XD It was that I was going to be late this week lol. Long story short, My family came down to visit us at our house for the first time this summer. Cousins, aunts, uncles, whole shebang.

So I essentially spent nearly every waking moment of my weekend playing with my little cousins and spending some much needed time with my family. I see them twice a year and that was one of those two lol.

AMERICA'S BDAY ANYONE? Waaaahhhhh it was such a sad and happy day for me :'D Our dear Alfred is growing up so fast **sniff** Lol and my bro and I were freaking out our mom cause before the fireworks we were discussing how to keep England from getting dead drunk XD And we started arguing about weather we should hide the Rum, or the Brandy from him… I said rum but that's just cause I want to watch iggy wandering around going "WHERE'S THE RUM GONE? WHY IS THE RUM ALWAYS'S GONE?" lulz. Needless to say our mom was confused and a little disturbed XD My brother knows a lot about Hetalia via me, and he likes to talk about it, but I won't let him watch it, for obvious reasons…

Anyway! I'm free-ish again (although I woke up this morning all excited cause I was gonna take the whole day and write, and then suddenly I remembered I started my summer job today XD Darnnn…)

**callmeharry:** They're 14. I was originally going to use the british system of schooling, as they are in England, but for the plot the American system is more useful ^^ They're all freshman, except for Gilbert who is 15 and a sophmore.

Thank you for all the reviews! I got so many last chapter, I was really shocked ^^ It was fun reading all the guesses. Mostly cause I'm not telling you yet lol.

Onward! :D

O ~ O ~ O

The rest of the day came and went. Arthur managed to survive through to the end of his last class, and astonishingly, found the front doors of the castle with little difficulty. Of course, it could have been due to the fact that the entire school was headed in practically the same direction. Feliciano had greeted him warmly outside the massive iron doors, and together, they waited for the remainder of the team.

Person by person, they all trickled out amongst the crowds, until finally all eighteen of them had assembled and they trudged home, bleary eyed and tired. Arthur had never imagined school could be so tiring. Antonio had prepared dinner for the weary students, and to his credit, hadn't let a single glint of exhaustion settle itself on his features, although it was more then obvious that he was falling asleep on his feet.

Arthur would have offered to give him a hand (although he wasn't entirely sure how helpful he would be) but surprisingly, Romano stepped in and dealt with the dishes and even a portion of the cooking. Antonio beamed, keeping quiet as they washed the plates side by side, but never losing the surprised, happy smile that rested on his face.

Homework had been a long and quiet affair. He worked upstairs on the table with Kiku, while Roderich, Berwald and Lukas discussed their political science class on the third floor couch. When he finally retreated to his room for the night, he was surprised to find Alfred still awake, laying on his back on the floor and staring at a pale white envelope thoughtfully. His books and papers lay around him in a jumbled mess, notebook pages filled with illegible scrawl and what appeared to be equations of some sort. That was odd. If Arthur remembered correctly, Alfred shouldn't have had Math that day. Shrugging it off, he stepped quietly past the other boy and over to his dresser. It was already twelve, and at this point, sleep was his number one priority. Then suddenly, Alfred spoke up.

"What's something you think everyone needs?" He asked aloud, turning the envelope in his hands. Arthur stared at him, unsure of how to respond, and deciding weather the American had even been addressing him. Alfred turned his head; cerulean blue eyes alight with curiosity.

"Well? What do you think?" He said again, this time, pointedly speaking to Arthur.

"Something... everyone needs?" Arthur murmured slowly, mulling over the question. He supposed the basics were one thing. Air, food, water, shelter. The hierarchy of needs. But surely Alfred couldn't be asking about that. But something that everyone needed... He frowned, crossing his arms thoughtfully.

"To be honest, I'm not sure I could pull anything like that off the top of my head." He admitted, taking his sea green pajama bottoms out of a drawer.

"Oh just think of simple stuff." Alfred urged. "You know, like friends, and happiness, and family."

Arthur flinched, eye's wandering to his pillow. "I don't know if everyone needs all those things though..." He muttered.

"What?" Alfred exclaimed. "But everyone needs friends. And everyone wants to be happy, and family is like only the most important thing in the world! No one can live without a family."

"You say that, but there are plenty of people who live without all those things." Arthur replied stiffly, fighting back the urge to snap at him. "Like family. There are a lot of people in the world who don't have a family for countless reasons. And yet they're still living."

"I guess..." Alfred admitted begrudgingly. "But that doesn't mean that they're not something you need. I mean, I can't imagine life without my parents and my relatives. Can you? It must be awful, to not have a family I mean. I don't know what I would do if my parent's died. Or anyone else I'm related to really. We're all really close. I... really feel bad for those kids who have lost them..."

"I'm sure the can do without your pity." Arthur ground out, unbuttoning his dress shirt.

"What?" Alfred blinked, eyes snapping up from a dazed state.

"Never mind." He sighed, turning around to throw a black t-shirt over his head.

"Well then what about your family?" Alfred asked. "Are you all close?"

Arthur felt his blood run cold, tugging at his sleeves and busying himself with pulling his pants on. What was he supposed to say to that?

"We... we don't talk." Arthur muttered, saying the first thing that popped into his mind. Well, technically that was true. It wasn't a lie, really. The real problem here was not Alfred's prying (although that WAS starting to grate his nerves) but rather, that he was actually telling the idiot anything. He could have just ignored him, but it was as if his mouth wouldn't let him.

"Oh..." Alfred trailed off lamely, turning his head away. "I uh... sorry. I figured that you guy's got along really well, since you've got that picture of them and all..."

Arthur stiffened. "Wait what?"

"Aha well you weren't in the room and there was this thing sticking out from under your pillow and I really couldn't help myself so I just kind of, you know, took it out and looked at it. That-that is your family, right?"

He nodded, subconsciously wondering why he wasn't more upset at the fact at Alfred had discovered that picture. His picture. "Yes. That was my family." he replied despondently.

Arthur watched the horror grow in Alfred's eyes. "Was?" He murmured. "Are they...I mean...are they gone?"

Arthur chuckled dryly, despite himself. "Something like that." All at once, the honey haired American leapt to his feet and grabbed Arthur roughly by the shoulders.

"You shouldn't laugh about it." Alfred said seriously, steel blue eyes boring into his own. "Don't... don't do that."

"Why?" Arthur growled, trying to tug the boy's hand off his shoulder. "It's my problem, I can deal with it how I please."

"Because when you're sad you should cry!" Alfred argued fiercely, shaking Arthur back and forth with ease, as if he were a doll.

"I'm not sad anymore. I don't have time to be sad. Holding on to memories only makes moving on all the more difficult." Arthur replied quietly.

"But that doesn't mean you need to forget." Alfred insisted.

"It's easier that way."

Alfred's hands tightened around his shoulders. What does he care? Arthur thought bitterly. It's none of his business. He has no right to get all worked up over some one else's problems. I'll push him away and tell him to go to bed. That he's being ridiculous, that-

He felt the large hands on his shoulders disappear. Thank god. Arthur breathed inwardly. And then suddenly, they were back, wrapped tightly around his midsection and pulling him in until he was flush against Alfred. The taller boy's forehead rest upon his shoulder, nose just barely brushing his thin black shirt.

"Wha-wha-what are you doing?" He yelped quietly. "You git what's gotten into you, don't touch me, I..."

"I hate you." Alfred cut in. "I really, really hate you. So don't say stuff that makes me feel bad for you." He hissed, tightening his hold on the Briton. "It's not fair."

"Yea?" Arthur murmured. His heart was pounding so loudly in his chest, he was sure even Alfred could hear it. "Well I think you're not being fair, you idiot. Don't do things that make me think you're actually a good person."

"Sure." Alfred agreed softly. "Tomorrow, I'm going to dump a bucket of ice water over your head to wake you up."

"If you do that I'll break you're neck."

"I don't doubt it."

They stood there, Alfred holding him, for what seemed like hours. Arthur had to fight back tears more then once. And whenever he let out the faintest sob, or tiniest sniffle, Alfred would tighten his arms around him. They didn't say anything. There were no comforting words, or soft whisperings. Just their heartbeats pressed together, and the soft mingling of their breath in the still room. But if it was like this, Arthur could almost forget who it was that was hugging him as if he was the most precious thing in the world.

O ~ O ~ O

School the next day was similar to the day prior. He spent much of his time between classes simply searching for the rooms, and was late on more then one occasion. He was happy to have Francis in his British history class, although a little less thrilled at the fact that the noisy Dane had somehow ended up in the advanced class along with them. Fortunately, class had been very centered on a lecture their teacher was in the middle of giving, and it didn't allow much time to let Soren cause trouble. When class ended, he walked out with a group of girls, waving his hands around in the air and talking quickly as if he was telling a story, and the girls were eating up every word of it.

Lunch was a monotonous affair. The food was wonderful of course, and today, there had been no interruption from the head master (who Arthur still thought looked suspiciously like Ludwig). Laura bounced by the table again, this time accompanied by two girls, one with short blonde hair and wide green eyes, and the other with long brown hair, and an Asian appearance. She introduced them as Mei and Lili, and after a brief hello, waved goodbye to the group, as they had promised to meet with Mei's boyfriend during lunch.

The rest of the meal was casual and quiet for the most part. Antonio broke in at one point to tell them all a story about his home in Spain, and then they had begun discussing their homelands. Alfred had of course, proudly proclaimed that America was the best country of them all, to which Arthur snorted in annoyance. Alfred ignored him (presumably because he was still ticked off about that morning. Arthur had beat him to the chase, and it was the blue eyed American who had woke up with ice water running down his back, not him.)

The day went on, and finally, last period. Arthur didn't know what it was, weather it was the long classes or the just the trek to each room, but this school was wearing him out, and he wasn't the only one. Lukas in particular, had become a concern for the team. He had come out of the school the other day on Soren's back after he had apparently collapsed from running up and down flights of staircases, searching for something he'd lost, although Soren claimed he didn't know what it was.

That night after dinner, a small group of them worriedly discussed Lukas's physical health. It would be a problem if he couldn't participate in challenges because of it. Soren however, was adamant, and insisted that anyone would be tired after running up and down as much as he did. So for the time being, they let the subject drop.

The last class of the day was theatre, and he already knew for a fact that Alfred had it at the same time. He remembered, with some amusement, when the night before it had occurred to both Soren and Berwald that they both had woodshop, just not at the same time. Which of course, led to Soren pestering the poor Swede about how he had gotten so good, and how the tools worked, among other things, so that he could be prepared for the class. The lack of communication was somewhat astonishing really. He was lucky he'd been paying attention when Alfred had brought up his schedule the day before, or he wouldn't have realized that the obnoxious blonde had the same class.

His stomach churned nervously as he wandered down an empty hallway, mind flitting back to Alfred. It wasn't like anything was awkward since... that happened. He still hated the American, and Alfred made no show of hiding his dislike either. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what had caused Alfred to act that way towards him. He thought back to the time in the woods. And then what Kiku had said to him.

"_I think that's just how Alfred is. It's in his nature to be kind, even if it may not seem that way to you sometimes. I think Alfred-san, is a very good person. Don't you Arthur?"_

And he supposed, that was it. As much as he would have liked to deny it, worrying about others above himself seemed to be very much in Alfred's nature. Even if it was Arthur he was worrying about. It was like he went on autopilot when he thought someone was in trouble. Not that Arthur had been in trouble. He hadn't even been thinking about it before that idiot brought up family. And then he started asking all those stupid questions.

Arthur bit his lip and shook his head. He wasn't the type to get sentimental or wishy-washy. It had been four years since he'd cried about that. It didn't matter to him anymore. Even as he stood there thinking about it, he felt no remorse. But somehow, when it was Alfred, hugging him and telling him how stupid he was, how it was ok to cry, he just felt so... sad.

"Hey, where are you going?" A voice called from behind him. Arthur stumbled over his feet, and spun around to glance the owner of the familiar voice.

"Oh, hello Lukas." He greeted the cobalt-eyed boy with a polite nod of his head. "I'm off to theatre. But I can't seem to find the Kale building."

"That's funny." Lukas replied in his usual monotone. "Look, I've got theatre too. I was having trouble finding it."

"Really?" Arthur inquired, raising his eyebrows. He couldn't see Lukas as the theatre type. The boy could produce little emotion when simply going about his every day. Arthur couldn't imagine that he would be able to feign it on a stage. He wondered where the school administration got the idea for that one.

"Yea. We should get going." He said, glancing at a small silver watch on his wrist. "We're going to be late."

"Oh yes, of course." Arthur agreed. They started down the hall in silence, and Arthur couldn't help passing a glance or two at the solemn boy. He was an odd one.

"Hey." Lukas said suddenly. "What kind of person are you?"

Arthur blinked in surprise, flustered by the question. "What kind of...person you ask?"

"Yea. You wear those studs, and your hair is cut real weird. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were some kind of delinquent... but you're actually really polite and stuff. When you're not fighting with Alfred, it reminds me of the way all those rich important people in old England talked. Really proper and stuff, like, not the kind of English you learn in school or anything. So what kind of person are you?" He asked again.

Arthur shrugged. "I suppose I am just, Arthur. Nothing more. But if you want the honest truth... the earrings were a dare." He admitted, smiling wryly. And for the first time since he'd known the boy, Lukas laughed. It was quite and reserved, barely audible, but it was a real genuinely amused laugh.

"I knew it." He stated, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. "You really don't seem like the type to have gotten them voluntarily. Sure, you're tough and all. And I bet you've been in a fight before, but you've got proper rich kid written all over you, once you strip that petty stuff away."

"And how exactly did you manage to detect that on me?" Arthur asked, bemused, and a tad worried.

"Easy. Because I'm one too. Except I'm a screw up proper rich kid. I've got the rich, but the proper skipped over me and on to my brother." Lukas told him.

"Oh?" Arthur inquired. "What do your parents do? They must have good jobs."

At this, Lukas snorted and sped up. "My parent's are useless. Come on, let's get on to class before we lose points."

Arthur nodded uncertainly, not wanting to pry, and jogged after him.

O ~ O ~ O

"To our new students, welcome to theatre." Their teacher, Mr. Brown, clapped his hands enthusiastically up on the beautiful wooden stage of the auditorium. He was a tall, gangly looking man with thick-rimmed glasses and short brown hair that stuck off his head in the back. He couldn't have been older then thirty.

"Our theatre department has been an important part of this school for years upon years, bringing in new, enthusiastic young actors and actresses like yourselves, and allowing them to study the art of the stage." Arthur watched as Alfred's hand slid lazily into the air from a couple seats down. Coincidentally, Gilbert and Elizaveta had also been placed in the class, and they, along with Lukas, were voluntarily creating a gap between he and Alfred. Definitely a smart move.

That aside, the class was enormous. It was like they lumped a quarter of the school in there just for kicks to see what would happen. It seemed random, and not as well thought out as they had been made to believe. Arthur didn't have anything against theatre of course. He had always found it interesting. He liked reading Shakespeare, and heaven knew he enjoyed plays. That aside, he couldn't imagine Alfred and Gilbert were interested in it, and he had his doubts about Elizaveta considering she'd yawned about ten times within the last five minutes.

"Yes, you there young man." Mr. Brown smiled, pointing to Alfred.

"I hate to sound... well, rude, but to be honest Sir, I'm not interested in theatre at all. Are we still allowed to switch classes?" A few scattered snickers, including one from Gilbert, and the room was quiet again. Mr. Brown raised a curious eyebrow.

"If you want to write that essay." He reminded him. "Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll have to gain some minuscule interest in theatre. I know, that's quite a hard price to pay, but I do think you'll be ok." More laughs this time, mostly from the older students.

"Do we really have to write that essay?" Gilbert whined from beside him. "This isn't even a real class."

Mr. Brown simply shook his head. "If that is the way you choose to think, I can't change that. I can only hope that by the end of this year you have gained some appreciation for this unique art. Now!" He smiled. "Today, we are continuing are lesson on set design. Since we have some new students, I'm going to put one of you in charge of their group. Show them the ropes, all right? Now, who wants to volunteer?"

"I'll do it, Mr. Brown." A voice called out. Mr. Brown nodded gratefully.

"Thank you, Eduard. Good then, off you all go, same groups as yesterday. Eduard, can you please bring the new students to the back room to work and show them around? Excellent. We'll meet back ten minutes before the bell. If there are any questions you know the drill." With a nod of his head, their teacher disappeared off the stage, leaving the students to their work.

The room erupted in a flurry of movement. Groups of students jumping up onto the stage and leaving through the many back doors, others staying where they are and pulling what Arthur could only assume were set designs.

"Please come with me." A voice from beside them asked. Arthur looked up, startled, until he remembered they would be getting a guide. The boy, Eduard, was of average size. Not particularly tall, not short. About the same height as himself. His hair was blonde, and cut into neat, short bangs that sat a just above his eyes. As for his eyes, they were light blue, and framed by a rounded set of glasses that were glinting just so from the auditorium lights.

"Ah yes right, you must be Eduard." Arthur acknowledged, jumping to his feet and extending his hand. "It's very nice to meet you."

A surprised expression flickered across the boys face, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. He smiled politely and took Arthurs' hand in his own, shaking it gently. "Likewise. If I remember correctly from role, you're Arthur. And all of you..." He glanced at the rest of the group. "Gilbert, Lukas, Elizaveta, Alfred. Am I right?"

"Spot on." Alfred chuckled. "Oh, more people." Arthur glanced over his shoulder as four more students approached the group cautiously. Three girls, and one boy with onyx black hair and curious cyan blue eye's.

"Oh, you must be the other's." Eduard laughed softly. "I'm sorry, I didn't think that you would all be sitting separately."

"Oh it's fine." One of the girls chirped. "Really, we're just grateful that you're giving us a hand. My name's Élise by the way." Arthur shrugged off a curious frown. That sounded French, but she didn't have any sort of accent, and the girl didn't particularly look it, what with her brown skin and dark eyes. Although, he never had asked Francis much about his home country and it's people, so anything was possible.

"I'm Kayla." A girl with curly brown hair smiled. "And this is Maggie." She motioned to a red head that was twiddling her thumbs nervously.

"It's nice to meet you all." Eduard nodded. "What about you?" He asked the black haired boy, whose eyes were currently glued on Elizaveta. He glanced away when he was addressed and shrugged.

"I'm Abel."

"Good to hear it." Gilbert grumbled. "Are we done with introductions now?" Elizaveta elbowed him in the gut.

"Don't be rude." She muttered.

"I'm not being rude." Gilbert argued, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his maroon jacket. "I just want to get moving is all."

"I don't know what you're hurry is, we're just building stuff." Alfred pointed out.

"Ah that's right, you were the two who didn't like theatre." Eduard laughed. "Don't worry, in my freshman year, I was the same as you. It kind of grows on you though. Now let's get going. I'll show you the back room, and then how to use some of the tools."

"Like saw's and stuff?" Gilbert grinned.

Eduard nodded hesitantly. "Yes. I suppose."

"Sweet!" Gilbert exclaimed. Eduard just shook his head.

"This way." He instructed. He started toward the stage, and then paused, glancing over to a corner of the room. Abruptly, he changed his course and began leading them toward a set of hidden metal stairs on the side of the stage "Watch your step, these stairs can be a bit-"

"Wah!" Elizaveta yelped, stumbling backwards. Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur could have sworn he saw Gilbert lurch forward a step. Fortunately, Abel, who had been walking behind her, caught her gently and pushed her onto the next step.

"Are you alright?" He asked, helping her steady herself.

"Yea." She laughed, blushing lightly. "I wasn't paying attention and missed the step in front of me. Thanks. You know, for catching me."

"That's why I warned you to be careful." Eduard reminded them. "They're pretty steep."

"Where exactly are we going?" Alfred called from behind him. "These for sure don't lead up onto the stage. I mean they freaking spiral."

"You're observant." Eduard remarked, continuing upward. "No, they don't lead to the stage, they lead to an area above it."

"You mean the catwalk?" Lukas cut in. Eduard shook his head.

"No, not the catwalk. Trust me, you'll see. Just be patient."

"Now I'm excited!" Élise exclaimed. "How long will it take to get to the top?"

"A couple minutes."

"Minutes?" Arthur sputtered. "How high do these things go? I thought you were taking us to the back room."

"Well I was going to." Eduard laughed from a couple steps ahead. "But I decided there was something else I should show you all. It's usual for most new students to see it their first day, and I don't know why Mr. Brown forgot."

"Yea, I don't know if he likes us that much." Alfred admitted.

"You mean he doesn't like you and Gilbert." Arthur grumbled. "Don't lump me in the same group as you."

"Who's lumping, Artie?" Arthur stiffened.

"Don't you DARE call me that." He growled lowly, spinning around to scowl at the American. "If you're going to address me as someone other then 'you' I would prefer you use my real name instead of that horrendous nickname."

"So you want me to call you Arthur?" Alfred smirked knowingly. Arthur's frown deepened.

"I'd rather you not call me anything."

"Yea, you say that, but you're the one who started using my real name first."

"Shut up." Arthur snapped. What was with him today? Alfred wasn't just going at him like he normally did. He was actually trying to get under his skin by teasing him. Arthur suddenly preferred the fist fights to this kind of torture. "That was completely on accident."

"WAIT when did this happen?" Elizaveta gaped. "I totally missed the meeting where you too decided to start addressing each other properly. Why did no one tell me this?"

"Because we're not." Arthur grumbled. "He's just going at me with something besides those obnoxiously large hands of his." An image of them the night before flashed into his mind. His hands had been covering the entire small of Arthur's back, and then some. They really were big. Not in a weird way, they weren't to big for him or anything. They were just... big. He rubbed his nose, remembering when Alfred had first punched him. No wonder that had hurt so much.

"My hands are normal size." Alfred retorted. "That just means yours are to small. Which is why your uppercut is so weak."

"Say's the boy who was cradling his jaw like an injured puppy." Arthur growled triumphantly.

Finally, clearly abandoning his innocent act, Alfred scowled and rubbed the side of his face. "Lucky shot."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."

"Do you two always argue like this?" Élise blinked, cocking her head at them.

"Always." Lukas sighed from behind them. "All day every day."

"And you're in the same house?" Kayla gaped. "That must be so hard!"

"It's livable with." Elizaveta rolled her eyes. "If they really started hurting each other we'd try to stop them. It's better just to let them fight it out."

"You know guy's, we're right here." Alfred whined.

"What, so you're saying you don't argue and fight all the time?" Elizaveta raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Could be worse." Gilbert shrugged. "I'm surprised you're both still alive to be honest, considering you room together."

"It's not like you like Roderich." Alfred pointed out. "And you room with him."

"True, but he wouldn't be any fun to fight, so I don't bother." Gilbert smirked.

"Hah I'm sure Roderich would do just fine against you." Elizaveta pursed her lips.

"I think Tino could beat him up, and that's saying something." Gilbert snorted. "No offense of course." He added, turning to Lukas. Lukas shrugged.

"None taken. He's my friend, not my brother. And he is pretty weak."

"Are you guy's done?" Abel sighed. "We haven't moved for five minutes. You know, if you want to be in charge, you really should order people around." He said, addressing Eduard.

Eduard flushed pink for a moment, and nodded. "I suppose you're right. I don't really like cutting in though..."

"Sorry man." Alfred apologized. "Come on let's keep moving."

"Oh don't try to act responsible now." Arthur muttered under his breath.

The remainder of the climb up the winding staircase was relatively silent. Maggie, Kayla and Élise chatted quietly together for the majority of it, and on occasion, Elizaveta would join in, but the rest of the Imperaturi house didn't make a sound. As they ascended, a wall appeared on their other side, trapping them in the spiraling incline. It was almost as if they were in one of the towers of the castle. The question then was, where were they going?

Finally, Eduard came to a sudden stop in front of an old, wooden door at the top of the stairs. "Alright, I'm going to warn you guy's, its a little nerve wracking up here. So hold on tight to the sides, and watch the wind, it can get strong, especially since the storm's just blown over."

Wind? Arthur thought curiously. Slowly, Eduard pushed the door open, and a blinding stream of sunlight illuminated the dark stairwell.

"Ok, one at a time." He called, ushering the girls out the door. Arthur heard astonished gasps, and excited whispers, and suddenly, he was more then itching to get to the top. Finally, he stepped past the smiling boy, and out onto the most awe-inspiring sight he'd ever seen.

It was amazing. Wind whipped past him, and he grabbed the stone sides of the structure for support, never taking his eyes of the scene. Where were they? It suddenly occurred to Arthur. They had walked right on to one of the stone bridges that connected a handful of the schools towers. Behind them, he could feel the looming shadow of one of the higher buildings, and quickly broke his eyes away to look behind him. The castle was even more breath taking when he was up this close. Beautiful, crystal windows lined the side of the stone structure that rose far above them. If he had been able to move back even further, Arthur was sure he could have been able to glimpse the highest building in the school, just behind it. Stone gargoyles sat on ledges, every couple hundred feet up, intricately designed and each with a different expression more realistic then the next.

"Whoa." A voice breathed beside him. Arthur spun around to see Alfred standing by his side and staring out at the landscape, eyes wide in amazement.

"Welcome to the west tower bridge." Eduard informed them. "It's not the best view of the scenery from this side of the castle, but it's certainly one of my favorites."

They were staring out over the lake. The vast, beautiful lake that sat at the castles edge, and looked even larger and more spectacular now. The sun, not low in the sky but slowly receding behind the water, alit the rain cloud spotted sky with a symphony of color. And if Arthur looked down, he would see the enormous black rocks that sat between the water and the school, protecting the aged stone and glowing just as brightly as the lake in the light.

"Dude, this is so cool." Alfred said suddenly. Arthur silently agreed, not caring if he was talking to him. It seemed appropriate to respond to a statement from the boy that was, for once, very true.

"Are we allowed to come up here whenever we want?" Gilbert asked. Eduard nodded.

"Yes, students are allowed on the tower bridges. Although I would recommend you take the stairs in the other tower, since the auditorium isn't always open."

"It's beautiful." Elizaveta sighed. "I could live up here."

Eduard chuckled. "A lot of people come up here in their free time. Those who have free blocks, or want to stay after school to study. Apparently a lot of couples come up here to watch the sunset as well."

"That's so sweet!" Kayla exclaimed. "I can't think of any girl who wouldn't want to come up here with her boyfriend."

"Forget that, I want to be proposed to up here." Elizaveta chuckled.

"This is getting a little sappy here." Gilbert muttered.

"No kidding." Alfred replied quietly.

"Hey." Lukas said suddenly. "Why is it that Mr. Brown usually has new kids come up here? I mean, you did say that right?"

Eduard nodded. "To be honest, I'm still not really sure. But Mr. Brown is very serious about acting, and he believes that to get an actor to act well, you have to first present them, or put them in, an emotional situation. It's hard to fake happiness, or sadness, or even just to say your lines as if you care. I think, by sending students up here, he hopes to inspire something in them that wasn't there before, so their acting will be stronger."

"I don't know if I believe all that, but this is still pretty neat." Gilbert admitted.

"Yes." Eduard smiled. "It is, very pretty. Now, let's get back to class before we're missing to long. I don't want him to think we're slacking off."

"You're probably right." Abel agreed, speaking for the first time since they'd arrived on the bridge. "We should get going."

"Who put you in charge?" Lukas snorted. Arthur stifled a look of surprise. It wasn't unlike the blonde to be rude, but this retort seemed to hold a little more venom then his usual ones toward Soren.

Abel raised an eyebrow. "I was just agreeing with him." He stated.

"Whatever." Lukas muttered, starting toward the door. Eduard sighed and smiled wryly.

"It's going to be an interesting year, isn't it?"

"Yea but it's more fun that way." Alfred grinned.

O ~ O ~ O

"Alright class, tonight, I'm going to assign you your first piece of literature." Mr. Brown announced. "I want you to go read it, and then by next week have it written as a play would be. You don't have to have all the same lines as the book, but I want at least twenty direct quotes. Here's the catch. It can't have the same plot as the original. It has to be a different story, and a different genre."

A chorus of groans, as well as excited chatter echoed around the hall. He raised his hand for silence. "It doesn't have to be long, just a snippet, but I want stage direction, entrances, the whole thing. And of course, you have to act in them by yourself, playing all characters." This got far more protests, but the room died down quickly, waiting for the next instruction.

"I suppose you all want to know what it is?" He chuckled.

"Of course we do!" Gilbert yelled. "How are we supposed to do the stupid assignment if we don't know what story it is?"

Mr. Brown nodded. "Very true. But I'm going to make this interesting. I'll read a line from the story, and the first person to shout out what it's from and whom it's by doesn't have to act out their play alone next week. Meaning I'll let you choose actors to work with you. Does that sound fair?" A series or happy cheers filled the room. Arthur sighed. He did like plays, but aside from Shakespeare, he didn't read many. There were kids here he was sure were going to major in the art. Oh well, I'll just have to do it by myself. He thought.

"Alright, alright." Mr. Brown called. "Quite down so I can recite. Are you all ready?" The room was silent, and he raised his hand, signaling the beginning of the line.

"It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night."

Arthur felt a spark of recognition ignite in his brain. He knew that one! That wasn't a play. That was...

"The Tell Tale Heart, by Edgar Allen Poe!" He exclaimed loudly. Loudly enough, that he couldn't hear the voice that had fallen in unison with his own.

"Very good, both of you." Mr. Brown smiled, clearly impressed. "It would seem we have two winners."

Two? Who answered with me? He glanced around the room, and to his horror, saw Alfred standing proudly a couple seats down.

"You?" He sputtered. "How do you know that?"

"What are you talking about, I love Edgar Allen Poe!" Alfred grinned. "I don't read much, but he's awesome. I've read all of his."

"Well, I'm glad that you appreciate Poe, Alfred." Mr. Brown chuckled. "Perhaps we can get you to like theatre yet. Now, since both of you answered at the same time, and you're from the same house, how about you write it together? You still get to use other actors of course, but it might work better that way."

"Uh, sir." Arthur began. "I'm not sure that's such a-"

"Yes, that will work well." He nodded. "You two will collaborate and present together. I am quite eager to see what you come up with. Now, I would like all of you to check out a copy of the book from the library, and get started right away." He glanced at the watch on his wrist. "I'll let you out a little early today, I have a meeting to go to. Off you go then." He waved his hands dismissively and walked off the stage.

"What just happened?" Alfred groaned, holding his head in his hands. Arthur furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.

"In all honesty? I have no idea."

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:** Let's play the: Guess which characters are Hetalia characters and which one's are OC's! Game XD Don't worry I'll tell you all next week lol.

I have to say, this chapter was on of those one's where I fell like I've written a novel and then I check my page count and I'm only 5 pages in Xd Oh well, it ended up a good length…

Ah, yes reference to the title **grin grin** You guy's have clue how evil I am, really… :D

On another note, it was… interesting for me to start the chapter off all serious. But since it was the fourth of July, I REALLY wanted angst fluff XD I tried to keep it as… un angsty as possible though, since this isn't meant to be a particularly sad fic… I feel like trying to comfort Arthur is something Alfred would do, just like helping him back when they were lost in the woods. Like Kiku said, he's just that type of person. And of course they're back to their usual selves the next day lol. Alfred's hands… if you want me to be honest? That's totally not in there for plot, it's just a kink of mine XD I love guy's with big hands... I know I'm weird shoot me XD

Anyway, I figured that that would be something that stuck out to Arthur (he's pretty observant lol)

As usual, thanks for reviewing, and I'll see you next week!


	18. Drinks and Dilemmas

**A/N:** USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA! :D Clearly, I'm happy... DID YOU SEE THAT GOAL? I can't believe we won! I can't believe it! THAT WAS GREAT! *jumps up and down* Truly soccer is the most amazing sport ever. And now we get to play France! Heck yea! Go America! Aw man I can't wait to see that one! *dances*

Ehem, now that I have my composure back (i finished the story literally as the game ended and I just had to write that XD) I'm also proud to say that this is my longest chapter to date... ^^

In other news, I have some, well sad news. Well, sadish.. XD this coming sunday, I cannot garuntee a chapter, because I'm driving home then. In three days. Across the entire country. . anyway, I'll be on the road still on sunday, so i won't have much time for writing (although I have discovered that I can write on gmail docs on my phone! *dances* so when all fails and my computer dies I can at least work there XD)

Another release date issue. A week or so after I get back, I'll be gone for a week at band camp. Which means no computer, and DEFINITELY no time to write on my phone, even if I am bringing that. Seriously, up at 6, bed at 12, and not a moments rest between . So please bare with me for the next couple weeks as far as new chapters go. I'll try my best, but school is starting soon for me, and my last few weeks of vacation are nutty.

Soooooo many reviews! :D :D THank you so much!

Oh! And I finally decided to get a beta! So my writing in general should be better this chapter XD

And one last thing ^^ The characters from last chapter!

Eduard: Estonia Kayla: OC Maggie: OC Abel:OC Élise: Seychelles Good job all of you who guessed! :D

Onward~

O ~ O ~ O

"And I'm telling you, we're not doing it!" Arthur snapped. "That's just ludicrous."

"Oh, and your idea is sooooo much better," Alfred shot back, brow knit in annoyance.

"Actually, it is."

"Actually, it's not."

"Are you two still going at it?" A weary voice cut in. "You've been going on about this play thing all week, one would think you'd have some sort of idea by now, but you haven't even come up with a theme!"

"That's because he's being ridiculous," Alfred muttered, crossing his arms. "Come on Matty, you can't honestly tell me a tragedy is a good idea."

"Oh and an action theme is a million times better," Arthur snorted. "Really, I thought you said you liked Poe. Don't go soiling his work."

"But Mr. Brown said it had to be different from the original!" Alfred argued. "Tragedy is like, the same."

"Poe writes HORROR you twat," Arthur sighed. "They're completely different."

"Not really," Alfred grumbled.

"Can't you find a middle?" Matthew suggested, settling down by the hearth beside them. "You know, something you'd both be OK with? How about a romance?"

"Nah," Alfred yawned, dismissing the idea with a wave of his hand. "Romances are too sappy. And besides, the both of us have to be in it. It would be a pain to direct the other actors if we weren't the main characters. Hey Lukas," he called to the small blonde currently curled up on the couch, "What are you doing for yours?"

"Dunno," he replied from behind his book. "Don't care. I'll get it done in time."

"Geeze, you're helpful," Alfred whined. He had hoped that the Norwegian boy would have something to offer them. He and Arthur had been going around in circles for the entire week about the subject. Arthur wanted to do a tragedy. He wanted an action. And neither one of them wanted to budge on their idea. As far as he knew, Elizaveta had already finished hers, and Gilbert was almost done. Regarding Lukas, he wouldn't be surprised if the tricky blonde got Soren to do it for him somehow. Speaking of Soren...

Even since Monday, when Soren had carried Lukas home on his back, his friend seemed to be paying extra special attention to the little cerulean-eyed boy. He laughed off his insults, took his punches, and suddenly seemed more interested in helping him then arguing with him. He'd confronted Soren about it, but the boy had simply waved it off as nothing. Even so, Alfred thought it was a little odd, and couldn't help but wonder just what had happened back on those stairs to make his friend act like he was.

The day was Saturday, and of course, it was raining again. They'd had a nice little break in the middle of the week, free of clouds and full of sunshine, but by Friday the clouds were back in full force and they had yet to leave. What was worse, they were running out of food, and Romano was going to have to run into town. Of course, the auburn haired Italian wasn't exactly keen on the idea.

"Who the hell do you think I am?" Romano growled, crossing his arms stubbornly as Feliciano persisted to push him out the door. They'd been standing there arguing for about ten minutes, and it wasn't particularly adding to the academic aesthetic of the room. "There is no fucking way I am going out in THAT. I don't do water."

"Fratello, you promised," Feliciano whined. "Besides, we need food!"

"Then send that stupid tomato bastard. I'm not going out into weather like that, it does god-awful things to my skin."

"Romano!" His brother pleaded. "Tu devi mantenere la tua promessa!" (You have to keep your promises)

"Chiudi il tuo cu-!" (Shut the fuck up)

"Lovino!" Antonio cut in, appearing suddenly from the stairs. "Don't be rude to your brother. It's your job to go get the food. I can go with you though, if you don't want to go in the rain by yourself..."

"Screw that!" Romano growled, yanking himself from Feliciano's grip and storming past Antonio. "I'll go get my coat. Just as long as HE doesn't come too." With a last glare at Antonio, he retreated up the second floor stairs and disappeared.

"Dios mio," Antonio sighed. "That boy."

"Ve~. Thank you Antonio!" Feliciano smiled gratefully. "I thought I would never get my brother to go shopping! He didn't want to go all the way down to the school to find out how to get to the town..."

"Well, you can't deny that is a problem..." Alfred admitted. "I mean, it's pouring rain, and we don't even know if the school is open on the weekends."

"I can't imagine it isn't," Arthur muttered. "After all, we do live here."

"Hey, teachers have to live some where," Alfred argued.

"Never mind that," Matthew jumped in. "With this weather, someone really should go with him. He's going to have to carry a lot, and it would be good to have an extra set of hands, don't you think?"

"I offered but..." Antonio shrugged. "I figured he'd say no. Would one or two of you be willing to go?"

"I'll go!" Alfred offered immediately. Anything to get him out of the house and away from Arthur. If he had to take another word of the Briton's complaining he was going to lose his mind.

"Ve, then I'll go too," Feliciano chirped. "He's my brother after all, I would hate for you to have to go alone."

"What's going on?" Ludwig called, stepping into the living room with a frown. "I just heard Romano storming up the stairs so loudly it was shaking the second floor."

"We're going to get food," Alfred shrugged. "And he didn't want to go."

"We?" Ludwig inquired, eyebrows raised.

"I'm going with my brother, and Alfred's coming along," Feliciano explained. Ludwig shook his head.

"That won't do." He sighed. "The way you three are, you'll just get into trouble. No, I'm coming with you."

"Thank god," Arthur muttered, just loud enough for Alfred to hear. "Please Ludwig, take him. I can't stand another minute of this." Alfred was compelled to agree.

Ludwig frowned and shook his head. "Oh no, you're coming too Arthur."

"What?" Arthur shrieked, shooting off the floor. "But why?"

"Because if I remember correctly, you two have an assignment to finish, and I want you working on it. We're far behind in the point tally right now- the last thing we need is late or poorly done assignments. No arguing, if Alfred goes, so do you," Ludwig ordered sternly.

Arthur hissed something unintelligible under his breath, but slowly nodded, revealing his begrudging surrender to the plan.

"Ah, Ludwig, d-do you want me to come too?" Matthew offered, tugging at the ends of his precious red sweater.

"No, that's alright Matthew. Five should be more then enough to carry the food back." The German replied, glancing at his watch.

"Oh... alright," Matthew agreed, suppressing a dejected look. "In that case, Alfred why don't we go upstairs and get your coat? Arthur, I'll bring yours down for you if you'd like."

"Would you?" Arthur blinked. "Thank you very much Matthew, it's appreciated." Alfred narrowed his eyes. Since when had they become such good friends?

"Come on Matty, we better hurry and get up and down before Romano does," he muttered, snatching his friend's wrist and pulling him off the floor.

"Ouch!" Matthew exclaimed, yanking himself away. "Alfred that really hurt!" Alfred felt his heart sting in shame. Just because he was mad at Arthur didn't give him any right to take it out on Matthew.

"Sorry! I'm really sorry!" He apologized, taking the Canadians wrist gently in his hand and turning it over. "Did I twist it to hard? It's not cut or anything is it? I'm sorry Matty, really."

"It's fine Alfred, it just ached for a moment. You pulled me up a little hard..." Matthew insisted, giving him a wary smile.

Alfred sighed and turned his head away. He was such a horrible person. Even his best friend was fed up with him. Alfred just felt so... agitated. Tired. He'd barely slept a wink the night before, tossing and turning as he thought about the project, and disturbed more then once by an obnoxious thumping noise from the third floor. It sounded almost like Elizaveta was TRYING to keep him up. Well, her or Kiku, but he wouldn't put his bets on the latter.

And Arthur certainly wasn't helping to quell his annoyance. The Briton hadn't given him a break all morning, and he was getting sick of the boy's know-it-all pestering. He really did hate him. Except for maybe when he was sleeping. Alfred had spent a good portion of the night pacing about the room, and more then once he'd stolen a look at the sleeping boy. When he was awake, his thick eyebrows were almost always furrowed in annoyance, and lips pulled into a frown. As he slept though, the Briton wore almost a peaceful expression, a small smile tugging on the edge of his mouth. Most importantly, he was quiet.

"Alfred, really don't feel bad," Matthew pleaded, breaking him from his stupor. "It's really OK, look, it's not even going to bruise! S-so don't look like that OK?"

Alfred blinked at him. "Look like what?" He smiled, feigning innocence. Matthew laughed quietly, giving him a gentle shove.

"Never mind, you lug. Come on, let's get your jacket before it starts raining even harder." With a polite nod at Ludwig, and a glance at Lukas (who was still curled up quietly on the couch, despite all the noise) they hurried up stairs in search of something warm to wear.

O ~ O ~ O

"Alfred, can I ask you a question?" Matthew inquired as they peered around the room, eager to find Arthur's missing jacket.

"Yea sure." Alfred replied absentmindedly as he dug through Arthur's drawers.

"Well... it's just... I mean..." He frowned. "D-do you think Francis... I mean... I feel like he's ignoring me. I was just wondering if you'd noticed that too."

Alfred paused and turned around slowly. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I suppose it could just be my imagination..." Matthew twiddled his thumbs nervously, glancing around the room as if trying to find something to look at other then his friend. "But he hasn't been talking to me much this week. Actually, he's been basically ignoring me all together. At first I thought he might have just been tired. After all, on Wednesday, he had a quiz in math, so he had been up all night studying. But, on Thursday, when I went to ask him for some help with my English, he waved me off and said he was too busy, even though twenty minutes later I saw him playing cards with Gilbert and Antonio downstairs..." He trailed off and glanced at the ground.

"And then just this morning, I asked him if he'd seen my sweater. He just said 'I have no idea' and walked away, and it had been sitting right next to him on the ground!" He sighed and hung his head. "I don't know Alfred. I feel like I must have done something just awful to upset him like this. I wish I could apologize, but I can't think of what it could be!"

Alfred laughed nervously, guilt gnawing at his gut. "But isn't that what you wanted? For him to leave you alone?" Matthew shrugged.

"I suppose..." he murmured.

"Then don't worry about it," Alfred pressed. "I'm sure you haven't done anything wrong, he probably finally got the message or something. Come on, I finally found Arthur's jacket. We can go downstairs now."

Matthew nodded slowly. "Yea. Yea you're right." He smiled weakly. "I'm sure it's nothing. And at least now he's not pestering me."

"That's the spirit!" Alfred encouraged, wrapping his arm around his friend's shoulder. "Come on, let's get downstairs before Romano starts another screaming match with Antonio."

"You know he would," Matthew chuckled. "I'll race you down the stairs!"

"You?" Alfred snorted. "Piece of cake. When I say go, all right? Ready, set, go!" he laughed, sprinting out the door with Arthur's black hoodie in hand.

"Hey no fair!" Matthew called, dashing out behind him. "You cheated!" He felt the Canadian grasp the back of his shirt firmly, and he skidded to a stop, gripping the handrail of the stairs.

"And this isn't cheating?" He whined, trying to shake him off. Matthew laughed and grabbed the other rail.

"Nope, this is perfectly fair."

"Yea right." He tugged at his friend's jacket. Matthew tugged back, and in less then a minute, they were pulling each other down the stairs in a fit of laughter, tumbling over steps as they went. Alfred felt his heart soar. It felt like it had been ages since he'd had this much fun with his friend, what with the new school and everything. It was good to feel like everything was back to normal. No worrying about work, or teammates, or Francis. All that was missing was Soren, and it truly would be just like old times. He couldn't imagine how life could get better, and was in the process of yanking Matthew's hood over his head when they ran into someone. Hard.

"Augh!" Matthew cried, pulling at the hood that was shielding his eyes. "I'm so sorry! We didn't mean to, ah..." He stared up at the form he'd fallen into. The boy's eyebrows were quirked in annoyed manner, and his mouth pulled into a thin line. He stared down at Matthew impatiently, waiting for the smaller blonde to release the clothing he was clutching so tightly to keep his balance.

"Francis!" He squeaked, jumping backwards into Alfred. "I-I uh m-mean s-s-sorry! We didn't r-realize you were there!" Francis frowned and slid his hand slowly into his pocket.

"Faites attention," he sighed. "Vous allez vous blesser." (Be careful. You'll hurt yourself.)

"Je me demande pardon." Matthew murmured. Francis simply shook his head. (I apologize)

"Would you mind moving?" he began again, this time (to Alfred's relief) in English.

"Yea, sorry," Alfred apologized, pulling Matthew out of the way. "We were just messing around."

"Clearly," Francis muttered, shouldering his way by them. "Next time, take your foolish playing elsewhere." _Thank god that's over_, Alfred thought to himself. What a horrible time to run into the French boy.

"F-francis!" Matthew called suddenly. "Wait." _What are you doing?_ Alfred swore inwardly. Was he stupid or something? Didn't he want Francis to leave him alone? So why was he going after him? Francis stopped slowly and glanced behind him.

"Uh, I was w-wondering, if you could give me a hand with cooking. N-nothing fancy or anything, you could j-just give me a recipe, b-but I need something for my home ec. class, and you're such a good cook I figured..." He swallowed nervously. "Of course you don't have to! But, um, I would be happy if you did..."

Francis' face contorted into a mesh of confusion and annoyance, with a glint of something a tad more somber in his eyes. He almost looked like he was fighting with himself. He heaved out a heavy breath and shrugged.

"I am sorry. But I'm going up to speak with Roderich right now," Alfred watched as his friend struggled to keep a downcast expression off his face.

"O-oh. Well that's all right. I can always ask Antonio, or Yao or s-something..." He smiled weakly. "After all-"

"I said I was going to speak with Roderich at this moment," Francis interrupted. "But I won't be speaking to him all day." Matthew's eyes widened in surprise. Francis smiled softly, flickering his gaze to Alfred for the slightest of seconds, and letting a defiant look slip onto his face before turning soft again and looking back at Matthew. "I'll be down in half an hour, alright, Mathieu?"

Matthew smiled brightly, face illuminating with relief, and nodded. "Merci beaucoup!"(Thank you very much)

"De rien," Francis chuckled. And with a wave of his hand, the boy turned and disappeared up the stairs.(You're welcome)

"What the hell," Alfred grumbled, crossing his arms. "What was that all about, Matty?"

"I'm glad he's not mad at me," Matthew sighed, seemingly ignoring his friend. Alfred scowled in annoyance. That bastard. Even after they'd had a deal and everything, he still insisted on hanging around Matty. He was probably up to no good, as usual. Of course, Matty didn't realize that. It was just like him to think that he'd done somebody wrong, and not the other way around.

"Yea yea whatever," Alfred muttered. "Come on, let's just get downstairs. They probably think we died or something." Matthew laughed, clearly in higher spirits.

"I'm sure they don't think that. After all, it's me, not Arthur." And with that, they sprinted down the stairs and to their ever-waiting teammates below.

O ~ O ~ O

The ride to the school's town was a long one, longer then Alfred had bargained for anyway. Fortunately, the school had been very much open, and it had taken only one very long search through the school to find the main office and get directions to the town. Which, apparently, one could only get to by train. Which lead Alfred to wonder just where the hell they were hiding train tracks in the surrounding area. Well, apparently it was in the school itself, because upon entering one of the many lower levels halls, they ran into a large black steam engine, settled at the end of its track in a beautiful, and admittedly strange, room. Every wall of the room was constructed of medium sized mirrors, bouncing the light in the dimly lit room around and making it seem all that much brighter.

"Ve this is so cool!" Feliciano exclaimed, swirling around the room in a circle. "Fratello, did you know a room like this existed?"

"Of course I didn't!" Romano grumbled. "How would I have known?"

"Feliciano be careful," Ludwig warned, placing his hand on the flamboyant boys shoulder. "You might run into the mirrors."

"I'll be OK Ludwig!" He brightened. "Come on! Let's get inside the train!"

"But we don't even know if there's a driver!" Arthur argued. "It's not moving is it?"

"Is there a schedule?" Alfred offered, glancing around. "Maybe the driver's on break?"

"You kids need a lift?" A gruff voice boomed from inside the train. Alfred nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Yes, that would be appreciated thank you," Ludwig called, never losing his composure. "Ah, this train goes to the town, right?"

"That's right boy," the man replied, sticking his face out the front window. He had a thick, shaggy red beard, and bright blue eyes that sat behind a pair of half moon spectacles. On his head sat a small, blue and white striped hat, like engineers always wore in movies. "Hop on board. I'll get to the other end of the train to drive this thing."

"What time do you pick up?" Ludwig inquired, never missing a beat. The engineer scratched his beard and shrugged.

"Usually on an hourly schedule, but you five are the only students who have come by today, so I'll stay around and wait for ya." He smiled. "Now come on, I'm growing old in here."

"I think that's already happened," Romano muttered under his breath. Whether he simply ignored him, or actually hadn't heard the boy, Alfred couldn't tell. Either way, the grinning engineer simply disappeared as he made his way to the other end.

"Let's go." Arthur sighed, hoping into the closest car. "And don't forget to shut the door behind you," he called as he disappeared inside. The gang followed, slipping one by one into the car until they were all in, allowing Alfred close the door tightly and flop onto one of the wooden benches.

The ride to the town was boring and quiet. None of them spoke much, save for Feliciano who would all of a sudden start spouting some nonsense that would go ignored by all except for Ludwig (and even he seemed to be getting annoyed with the Italian's blabbering). Finally, after a twenty-minute ride filled with only idle chatter and the sound of rain, they made it to the town.

To call it a town was being a little kind. For one thing, it was incredibly small, so much so that from the hill where the train's tracks ended, they could see it through from end to end. It was cute, he supposed, a little town made of stone and wood, and not a building that looked as if it had been constructed in the past 20 years.

For such a small town though, the gang found it surprisingly easy to get lost, and worse, separated. With the rain blowing fiercely around them, and the unknown territory ahead, it was only a manner of minutes before five somehow managed to become two and three.

"I can't believe you got us separated!" Arthur hissed, pulling his black jacket tighter around him. "This is all your fault."

"My fault?" Alfred growled indignantly. "You have got to be kidding. It was clearly yours. I was following you!"

"No I was following you!"

"Yea right!"

"Uh, are you guys alright?" A voice called from behind them. Alfred turned to see a short male figure behind them with umbrella in hand. Most importantly, he was wearing the school uniform. "Seriously, you're gonna catch a freaking cold out here." He motioned for them to follow him. "Come on," he insisted. "Let's get inside, I'll show you where you can get something warm to drink."

Alfred didn't need to be told twice. And, apparently, neither did Arthur. Without a word of protest, they followed the boy through the downpour, and into an old, but inviting, wooden building. It looked like a restaurant- booths lining the walls, large round tables filling the room, and against the back wall, a long bar area with a line of black stools. It was empty now, save for a man and women sitting at the bar, but by the size, Alfred guessed that it wasn't unusual for the place to fill up. The warm air of the room hit Alfred like a pillow, engulfing him, but not quite taking his breath away. Inside, it of smelled of rich mahogany wood, and, to Alfred's immediate surprise, of food. Food, and the overpowering scent of chocolate, that forced a small smile onto his face. God, that smelled good.

"Come on, this way," the boy urged, pulling them into a wooden booth in the corner of the room. Heaving a sigh, he fell into the seat and lay back against the wall. Alfred and Arthur stared at him, unsure of what to do. Sitting on the same side of the table felt... weird.

"Well sit down." The boy snickered. "You do know what a booth is, don't you?" Alfred just nodded, unsure of what to say. Ever so slowly, he slipped into the seat. Arthur hesitantly followed suite.

"What are you two so nervous about?" He laughed. "Relax, I don't bite."

"Nothing, its fine," Alfred said. "We're just a little taken back is all." The boy waved him off, flashing them a toothy grin.

"Its cool, I guess I'd be a little weirded out too. I suppose I should introduce myself," he offered. "The name's Fane." Alfred looked him over closely. The boy had ashen blonde hair that hung low against his neck, and bangs that fell just over his eyes in a disheveled manner. His skin was pale; an almost iridescent white that seemed to glow in the faint light of the room. His eyes, which just peaked out from under his hair, were a deep brown that seemed to shine crimson. They reminded him hauntingly of Gilbert's eyes. But perhaps, the most striking thing about the boy, was the left canine that was ever so slightly protruding over his bottom lip, like that of a dog, or a cat.

"That's an interesting name," Arthur commented. "It certainly doesn't sound British." Fane grinned sly and proceeded to shake his head.

"Nah, it's not. But that's a story for another time. How about you two? Do you have names?"

Arthur smiled wryly. "My name is Arthur. This idiot is Alfred."

"Ouch, harsh," Alfred grumbled, not particularly in the mood to fight back. He felt sort of drained for some reason. _Must be the weather,_ he thought inwardly.

"You two sure are pleasant to each other," Fane snorted. "Oh by the way, I like your studs," he said, nodding to Arthur. Arthur gave him a surprised look.

"Oh, thanks."

"The silver suits you pretty well. I went with red, but that's 'cause of my eyes." He chuckled, pulling back a lock of his hair to reveal a small, scarlet dot on his ear lobe.

"I didn't even notice." Arthur admitted. "You're hair covers them. Have you ever thought about getting it cut? Then everyone would be able to see them." Fane shrugged.

"Yea, but I like my hair this length. Besides, it's not long or anything, just...?"

"Shaggy?" Alfred offered. Fane let out a loud laugh, revealing a row of straight, white teeth.

"There's the word. Anyway, what are you two doing out here on a day like this? It's perfectly miserable out," he asked, waving over a waitress who was hanging around the bar.

"We could ask you the same thing," Alfred reminded him. "What are you doing out here all alone? At least we came with a group."

"Oh?" Fane raised his eyebrows in surprise. "There are more of you?" Alfred nodded.

"Yea, three more. We lost them in the rain. The five of us, we're down here to go grocery shopping." He nudged Arthur gently, glancing quickly at Fane who was ordering something from the girl. "Bet Ludwig forgot about us and they're getting food now instead of looking for us."

"It's not like we're looking for them, you git," Arthur sighed. Alfred shrugged.

"True enough."

"So you were down here with some other members of your house then?" Fane inquired after she'd left. They nodded.

"That's right," Arthur replied.

"So what house are you two from?"

"Imperaturi," Alfred responded. "We're new. Weren't you at lunch on Monday?" Fane laughed and shook his head.

"Can't say I was. I was in the library, doing some research."

"Oh?" Arthur perked up. "For what class?" Fane gave them a closed mouth smile, his single snaggle tooth glinting in its solidarity.

"Not for a class. Just, some outside stuff. Something I was curious about I suppose you could say. But never mind that." He sat back as a young woman placed a giant blue mug in front of him, and then proceeded to do the same for Alfred and Arthur.

"What's this?" Arthur asked curiously, sniffing at the steaming beverage. "Hot chocolate?" Alfred grinned. Well that would explain the chocolate smell in the restaurant. Fane licked his lips and brought he cup to his mouth before giving the emerald-eyed blonde a small nod.

"Go on, try it. It's the best ever. Not like that stuff out of a package, this is the real deal."

Alfred tentatively brought the foaming coco to his lips. It had been a long while since he'd had the sweet drink (save for the cup Antonio had made him just a week prior). His mom didn't make it much, and he hated store bought stuff, although he would drink it on occasion. Even so, his mothers homemade cocoa was by far the best he'd ever had. There was no way-

"Oh god," he moaned, letting the warm liquid run down his throat. It was positively amazing, like drinking molten gold. It wasn't overly sweet either- the chocolate had a rich, bitter taste to it that evened the drink out, which Alfred could only guess was from the use of dark chocolate in the mixture. What luck! Dark chocolate just happened to be his favorite.

"This is... great," Arthur breathed, placing his mug gently on the table. Alfred glanced it him and noticed a puff of steam erupting from his mouth as he spoke. He frowned. Odd. Usually when the drink was that hot, he could see his own breath as well. Not that he usually liked it that hot, but either way. He took another sip and breathed hard, crossing his eyes to see if he could catch the steam. Nothing. Was Arthur's hot chocolate at a higher temperature?

"Hey lemme see that." He insisted, reaching over to grab Arthur's drink.

"No way! You have your own, drink that you tosser." Arthur growled, tugging the cup away just out of Alfred's reach.

"Come on, let me see!"

"Fuck off."

"Artie!"

Arthur flinched and Alfred felt a surge of triumph run through his veins. How clever it had been to think of that little nickname, seeing as it seemed to piss the Briton off even more then being addressed by his real name.

"Pwease?" He coaxed, sliding his hand slowly toward the cup. "I just want to test something out."

"Stop acting like a child," Arthur stammered, clearly put off by Alfred's charade.

"I'm not! You're the one who's not sharing," Alfred whined, forcing the disgust of the innocent act down. His fingers inched closer to the handle, so close now that he could feel the heat radiating from the mug.

"But it's mine, and you have your own."

"Mean," Alfred stuck out his tongue. He glanced at Arthur's face, knit in confusion and annoyance, not unlike Francis' that morning. Just one more little push... He slipped his hand against the mug, brushing Arthur's in the process.

"Hey!" Arthur yelped, yanking his hand away and abandoning the hot chocolate.

"Got it!" Alfred cheered, pulling it away from him. Quickly, before the Briton had even a moment to protest, he took a huge gulp.

"Shit!" He swore, slamming it down on the table and forcing the tears from his eyes. It was so hot! How on earth could Arthur drink it at that temperature? Not only that, but it tasted... different then his own. There was no bitter taste to Arthur's drink. It had been sweet, and only sweet. If his tongue wasn't burning so badly, he might have thought to discern the other flavors in the drink, but his mind wasn't really occupied on that at the moment.

"I told you not to take it!" Arthur snorted. "That's karma for you."

"Fuck karma," Alfred swore, panting heavily in a desperate attempt to cool is boiling mouth. "Hey Fane, do you know where I can get something cold to drink?" Fane said nothing. It appeared he couldn't even if he wanted too. The poor boy was doubled over in amusement, head back against the wall and clutching his stomach as he heaved out laugh after laugh.

"You guys are so funny!" he choked out, covering his mouth in a failed attempt to hide his continued snickering. "Seriously, I don't think I've ever met a pair like you two." He shook his head, laying it against the table and letting out a couple last chuckles. "Go up to the bar, they probably have water. Or you could just go outside and catch some rain." He let out another long laugh, amused at his own joke.

"I think he'll be fine," Arthur smirked, grabbing his wrist before he could step out of the stool.

"What the hell, let go!" Alfred muttered, shaking his arm. His mouth ached too much to protest any further.

"Look, there isn't even anyone up there," Arthur grinned innocently. "Just wait it off, it'll feel fine in a couple minutes."

Alfred let his head fall against the cool wooden table. "You're an absolute demon."

"If I'm a demon, then you're the devil's spawn," Arthur snorted, releasing his wrist.

"You guys really are a piece of work." Fane grinned. "Are you always like this?"

"All day every day, to quote a certain team-mate," Alfred grumbled into the table.

"Speaking of our team-mates!" Arthur exclaimed. "We really need to go find them. After all, we're supposed to be helping carry bags..."

"Crap, I sorta forgot," Alfred admitted. "Oh well, we'll see if we can't catch them when we get to the train."

"Always the helpful one," Arthur muttered, scowling at him. He looked at Fane and his look of displeasure molded into a warm smile. "Thanks for bringing us in here. We'd probably still be standing out in the rain arguing if it weren't for you."

"No problem," Fane insisted, waving him off. "It's nice to have new people to talk to once in a while. But hey, maybe I'll see you guys around school."

"Oh that's right!" Alfred remembered. "You go to the academy huh? What house are you in?" Fane shook his head and pressed his finger to his lips.

"That's a secret," He laughed. "But even if you can't find me there, come by here again."

"You're here often?" Arthur guessed. He nodded, taking another sip of his cocoa.

"Yea. During my free time, mostly. But sometimes I come down here to skip class. And especially during holidays, cause that's when they open the bar to students." He grinned wolfishly. "Only the juniors and the seniors are allowed to drink, technically, but they serve pretty much anyone around Christmas time."

"The drinking age in this country makes my head hurt," Alfred groaned. "I still can't figure out how the heck it works."

"Basically it's alright as long as long as someone older says it is," Fane explained comically. "Although I suppose that's not exactly what the law says, but whatever."

"Skipping class, huh?" Arthur inquired, arching his eyebrows. Fane shrugged sheepishly.

"Everyone needs a break one in a while. I'm not the only one who comes down here during the day, trust me. John, he's the engineer, he's not technically supposed to bring kids down here, but he always does. Trust me, one day you two are gonna ditch class somewhere and you'll be happy you did."

"I'll take your word for it," Arthur chuckled. "And now, we really must be going. I don't have money on me right now, but if there's any way..." Fane held up his hands to stop him.

"Please, I'm a regular here. They don't even make me pay anymore. Don't worry about it, they won't charge you guys either, since you're with me."

"That makes me wonder just how MUCH you ditch class," Arthur sighed. "But thank you. Even so, I'd like to pay you back some day." Fane smiled softly and shook his head.

"Maybe someday, you can."

O ~ O ~ O

They did eventually manage to find their lost teammates. Apparently they'd managed to find the grocery store, because when they met them back under a tree near the train, Romano and Feliciano were each carrying four bags apiece. Ludwig held six. Needless to say, the duo lent a hand. The ride back to the school wasn't as quiet as the ride from it. Romano and Feliciano were discussing what was going to be made for dinner (one of them mentioned something about gelato which instantly perked Alfred up), and from time to time, Ludwig would chime in and ask if they were sure they hadn't forgotten anything.

"Ve, but it wasn't that bad once we found the store!" Feliciano chirped. "They had all this great food too! We'll never run out of things to cook! Oh yea, but what did you guys do?" He asked curiously, plopping down on one of the benches as the train began to lurch more. "You didn't just wander around in the rain, did you?"

"No, we found a restaurant to settle down in," Arthur informed him. "A student who was walking around showed us in and we chatted for a while." This earned a puzzled frown from Ludwig, but whatever the German boy was thinking, he kept it to himself.

"You'll have to show us the place when we come back!" Feliciano cried, clapping his hands together. "Oh now I want to go!"

"Next time," Ludwig sighed. "Don't go getting all excited, that won't be for a while yet."

"Awww how come?" Feliciano protested. "Can't we come back again NOT to get food?" Ludwig furrowed his eyebrows.

"But everyone has work to do, and it doesn't make sense to just bring a small group down..."

"Ve~. Oh, that's alright! We'll just go together!" Feliciano smiled, clearly pleased with himself for thinking of the idea. "You're always done with your work suuuuuper early, and if you help me with mine I'm sure we'd have time!"

"Idiot!" Romano snapped, knocking his brother over the head. "You can't go here just the two of you! If that potato bastard goes so do I!" Feliciano cocked his head and gave his brother a curious look.

"But Romano, you always wait too late to get your work done! I don't want you turning stuff in late! It's not good for your grade."

"Screw that. I just told you, you're not coming back here together with him and that's final."

"But Lovino that's not fair!" Feliciano whined, addressing his brother by his proper name. "Why can't I go on a date with Ludwig?"

"Date?" Ludwig cut in, pink tinting his cheeks. "Who said anything about that?"

"No one," Romano growled. "Don't listen to my idiot brother. If he brought a hamster here with him he'd call it a date."

"Ahh..." was all Ludwig could say, turning away to occupy himself with watching the blinking lights in the dark tunnel as they passed through the mountains.

"That's not true, Roma," Feliciano pouted. "Hamsters aren't people! And you can only go on a date with another person."

"But why call it a date?" Romano argued. "A date is something you go on with the person you like. There's a difference between that and hanging out with someone. Don't get them messed up, idiot brother."

"I know that Romano!" Feliciano insisted.

"And yet you're still calling it a date?" Romano shrieked. Feliciano nodded vigorously.

"Of course! Because I like Ludwig," he smiled.

"F-Feliciano, I'm not sure you're quite understanding what your brother is saying," Ludwig broke in. "The way you think, you would go on a date with anyone from our house, right?" Feliciano blinked at him. Ludwig sighed and tried again.

"For example, if you and Antonio came here together, it would be a date, right?" Feliciano nodded.

"Yea, because I like Antonio too!"

"Bastard!" Romano snapped at Ludwig. "Don't go putting weird ideas into his head! There's no WAY he's allowed to date that tomato asshole."

"Date?" Alfred cut in, quirking an eyebrow.

"I'm just being hypothetical!" Romano growled.

"But you see?" Ludwig said to Feliciano. "Your brother is saying that you can't call it a date just because you like them as a friend. You have to... like-like them."

"Like-like?" the Italian pondered. Ludwig nodded.

"Like kissing, and hugging and holding hands stuff."

"But I do that with all the people I like!"

Ludwig blanched. "You know, never mind. How about I ask you this? What do you do with people you like like, if not just kissing and hugging?"

Feliciano crossed his arms and stared thoughtfully at the ceiling. "Ve... I guess I don't really know what it means to like-like someone!"

"I can imagine why, considering every girl you've ever dated probably thinks you've cheated on her when she's seen you kissing someone else," Arthur muttered.

"Oh, and like you now much more about it," Alfred snorted.

"Actually, I do."

Alfred blinked. "Wait, you've seriously had a girlfriend?" He felt an uncomfortable flip-flopping begin to occur in his stomach. Although he'd always had plenty of offers, he'd never actually taken any of the girls who asked up on them. And here was Arthur telling him that not only had he been asked before, but that he'd said yes? For the first time concerning the Briton, Alfred felt slightly out of his league.

Arthur shrugged. "Not girlfriends per say... although I suppose someone like you wouldn't be familiar with the term one night stand." Alfred's blood ran cold. WHAT?

"Wa-wait you've actually... I mean... you..." Alfred found it increasingly difficult to get words out. How? They were all just barely fourteen! Suddenly, Alfred felt sick. The thought of thirteen-year-old Arthur doing something like that made his insides hurt. Arthur shrugged again.

"Not excessively. Only a couple times."

"That's a couple times to many." Alfred spat. "I can't BELIEVE... just..."

"Ce, well I don't believe it." Romano frowned, turning his nose in the air. "There's no way you managed to get around your parents when we're not even old enough to drive." Arthur tensed beside him. Shit, Alfred swore inwardly. Ever since that night a couple days ago, he'd done everything physically possible to avoid talking about it. Thinking about it even. His mind was basically trying to reject that it even happened in the first place. Bringing up family now of all times was not helpful in the slightest, and he quickly deterred the topic of conversation.

"Anyway, what do you guys think our first challenge will be?" he piped up. Fortunately, that managed to distract the group enough that for the rest of the ride, as well as their walk towards the front of the school after they'd arrived, and they talked of nothing else. It wasn't until they were about halfway through the castle that Arthur stopped suddenly.

"I'm going to split off here," he informed them. "I need to go to the library to get some ideas for the play. I should be back before seven though."

"You think I'm letting you go by yourself so you can screw everything up?" Alfred snorted. "Not a chance, I'm going too." Arthur shrugged nonchalantly and started away.

"Suit yourself."

O ~ O ~ O

To say the castle was eerie when it was empty would have been an understatement. There wasn't a teacher or student in the halls, and their footsteps echoed ominously as they wandered aimlessly in search of the library. When they arrived at last, they realized that even that seemed to have been abandoned.

"Hello?" Arthur called as they stepped inside. No reply. The lights had been flicked off, the front desk computer shut down. The only indication that someone had been there recently was a half drawn curtain over one of the long windows on the far end of the room. Wonderful. He grumbled inwardly. There wasn't even anyone there to help them search through this behemoth of a place. And it didn't help that Alfred was practically shaking out of his pants behind him. Apparently the boy's irrational fear of ghosts was more severe then he had originally believed it to be.

"Stop chattering like that!" he snapped. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Says you," Alfred muttered, sneaking in past him and looking around as if something was going to jump out at them. Arthur shook his head. They weren't going to get anywhere at this rate.

"Look, you search in the west end, I'll check the east. We're looking for tragedy and action plays- books too, if you see fit to find some. We'll meet back in twenty minutes. DON'T leave the library," he ordered. Alfred simply nodded weakly. Arthur stifled and amused snicker. He was pretty pathetic in this type of situation. "Good." Arthur turned on his heel through the rows of books, leaving the shivering boy alone.

When he was a good way's back into the maze of a library, Arthur slowed his pace and stopped, slumping against a bookshelf. He really ought to be looking, but... He stared up at the ceiling, mind wandering back to that moment on the train. Why the hell had he said all that? So much for keeping his reputation clean, when they knew all those shameful things about him. Alfred had seemed so shocked and disgusted. He let out a heavy sigh and hugged his knees close to his body. Even so, the American had instantly changed the subject when Romano brought up his family. It was an odd feeling, in all honesty.

Arthur had spent the last years of his life grinning and bearing any talk of that subject. It wasn't until he met Francis that he finally told someone, and the boy had already basically figured it out on his own anyway. And then, as good a friend as Francis was, even when he knew he never intervened. He didn't deter the subject when it came up, never comforted Arthur about it- he always acted as if he didn't even know. Of course, Arthur came to be grateful of that attitude, because in the long run, he had become stronger for it. Still, Alfred was, perhaps, the first person who had ever been so careful about it. Gentle, cautious. As if he was waiting for him to break in two. It was a ridiculous notion of course. But, admittedly his kindness and worry were gestures that warmed Arthur's heart, even if he knew they weren't meant for him personally. It was, again, just how he was. Of course, he still hated the boy. There was no questioning that.

Arthur sighed, slipping his hand into his pocket absentmindedly and rubbing his fingers against a cool, brass object. He had thought it a bit strange when some random teacher came up to him and handed him this thing, insisting that he hold onto it. The man had barely told him anything at all, just that it was important that he always keep it on his person, and that should anyone ever come looking for it, to make sure it was the right person. It was completely strange, and Arthur had considered, for a time, reporting him to administration. But when the school didn't blow up, and more importantly, he didn't get in trouble, Arthur relaxed about the issue. Who cared what it was for? The owner would have to find it eventually and when they did he would be rid of the thing once and for all.

It was an odd little thing though, that key.

His thoughts were broken by a mortified wail that echoed through the library. _Oh great, now what's he gotten himself into?_ Arthur groaned inwardly. Pushing himself to his feet, he dashed through the books, searching for his terrified teammate.

"Alfred!" he yelled in spite of himself. He knew that the other boy was still uncomfortable about letting Arthur use his name, and in all honesty, he wasn't fond of it either. But he supposed they would have to get used to it eventually. He skidded to a halt at the front of the room. There was Alfred, standing in front of the doors with a panicked expression adorning his features.

"What's the problem?" Arthur snapped. "Why did you scream like that? Honestly, I thought you were dying or something."

"The door's locked," he hissed, yanking on the handles. "There WAS someone else in here. Or at least, there was someone walking around the school, and they locked the library doors! We're stuck."

"That's not possible!" Arthur snapped, glancing at his watch. It wasn't even seven yet! Did the teachers really leave that early? "Well when do you think they'll open again?"

"How should I know?" Alfred growled, giving the doors another firm tug, as if it was going to help any. "Well be LUCKY if they open up tomorrow. It's Sunday after all. I doubt even the teachers show up then."

"Damn it!" Arthur swore, pounding his fist against the oak. "Do you think there's any way out?" Alfred shook his head.

"That's definitely the only door into the library, and we're five stories up, so there's no way we can jump down from a window. Besides, I highly doubt they open anyway."

"Great," Arthur muttered. "Just great. What about our team? They might start worrying about us."

"What about us?" Alfred shouted. "On the off-chance that they actually come looking for us, and then the smaller chance that the school is even open, and the even more minute chance that they check the library, we're still going to be here for hours!"

Arthur fell against the door and stared up at the ceiling in dismay. "Well then I guess we better get comfortable, because it's going to be a long night."

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:** I knoooow I'm so cliche XD Oh well, I'm ok with that...

Yay! mini time skip! :D :D I feel like I jumped around a lot more then usual this chapter, which is most likely a good thing because it means I can start picing up the pace more...

Little franada moment, gerita hints, and romano getting angry at antonio again. What else is new?

Haha oh! And regaurding that new character. Guess what? HE'S NOT AN OC! :D :D He's a real deal character, I promise lol. Kudos to anyone who can figure out who he is. Since he's relatively new and doesn't have a name yet, I picked one for him that i liked, and I gotta say, it's grown on me. I wonder if fans can request human names for characters... oh well Xd I'll tell you who he is next week. Good luck!

I wanted to add a little bit from Arthur at the end because I'm starting to enjoy writing from his POV more and more, and I wanted the library scene to be through his eyes. Seems like he's been doing quite a bit of reflecting lately... I can only hope our dear Alfred starts doing the same lol.

See you soon! :D


	19. Waltzes and Worry

**A/N:** Hey you guuuyyss :D Finally got this up lol. But before I start rambling, ANNOUNCEMENTS!

1) Just a quick reminder that there will be no update this coming week because I'll be gone with no acess to my computer.

2) If any of you remember, I promised that if you guys got me to 250 reviews I'd give you something, and you amazin people you, you did :D so hopefully, I'll have that up for you sometime before I leave. If not, I'll put it up along with the next chapter ^^ You'll see what it is when I post it... it is related to this story though lol.

3) I can't believe we lost! TT^TT *sigh* oh well, at least it was to Japan, who really deserved a win... and at least we beat france XD

4) NEW CHARACTER :0 Sooo many good guesses ^^ Fane: Romania 3 Gosh I love him. He'll be popping up a lot more as the story goes on... :)

**Jenn06807:** Lol me too XD My teacher is going to be so mad at me when she finds out I haven't been working on my philharmonic audition peices... gahh and allstate! *runs around* imgoingtodiethereisnodoubt XD Clarinets... in my band they have something of a repuation for being the slackers XD I of course, play the most epicful amazing instrument ever! No it's not a trumpet, I'm not that egotistical *shot* I play the french horn, aka mellophone in marching band lols. Band geeks ftw!

**Bakura From School:** Even with band competitions, projects, and AP tests, I will ALWAYS make time to write ^^ Don't worry guys, this story isn't going anywhere but forward :)

Anywho! i'll be honest this chapter was troublesome at times... and most of it was written while speeding down the highway XD But I think it turned out ok, for what it's worth.

Onward :)

O ~ O ~ O

Alfred rolled leisurely over onto his exposed stomach, letting out a tired yawn. It was already twelve at night (or would in the morning be the most appropriate way to refer to it?) and there had yet to be a single person to come knocking on the doors. He silently hoped that Matthew and Soren weren't too worried about him, and that the group hadn't gone looking for the pair. As the night progressed, the storm that had chilled them in the early afternoon had picked up momentum, and the wind whipped mercilessly against the windows of the library, accompanied by the fierce patter of rain, and the ever-constant crashes of thunder and lightning. To go searching for them in this sort of weather wasn't dangerous: it was suicidal.

He picked up a lavender book from the stack beside him. Arthur had single-handedly decided that while they were in the library, they might as well take the time to accomplish what they'd gone there for. And so, thereafter, the Briton took it upon himself to gather piles upon piles of literature for the pair of them to look through, hoping that reading might spark some sort of idea for their play. Alfred was skimming through his eighth book, and was already sick of it. He had never been one for reading anyway, but the stuff Arthur had picked out... well, it was a far cry from what he usually read.

He furrowed his brow in annoyance, smacking the crown of his head against the side of a bookshelf. If he had to read anymore, he was going to explode. "So, any ideas?" he inquired, glancing over at Arthur in hopes that the British boy had found something.

Arthur ignored him for a moment, continuing to flip through the pages of the pale gray book he was absorbed in, however after a loud cough from Alfred, he looked up, blinking slowly at him.

"Yes, well, I have found some interesting ideas, but I don't think anything I have will quite work for a tragedy..."

"You're still on about that?" Alfred groaned. "Give it a rest, would you? We're not doing a tragedy."

"Well then what would you propose?" Arthur snapped. "And if you say action, or anything akin to that subject, I swear I will rip that obnoxious lock of hair off the top of your head."

"Hey, don't bring my cowlick into this," Alfred grumbled, cupping his hand around it protectively. "And I don't know! How about a comedy?"

"No good, Gilbert's doing that," Arthur muttered, eyes darting across the page of his novel.

"So? I'm sure there are plenty of other people who are doing the same thing!" Alfred protested.

"Yes, but we're in the same house," Arthur pointed out, setting the book down beside him. "It won't look good if any of us have the same theme, will it?"

"I guess not," Alfred grumbled begrudgingly. "So then, what do we do?"

"Ah, well..." Arthur trailed off, entwining his fingers in a nervous fashion and glancing away. "I've been thinking about what Matthew said, and perhaps, a romance is the best way to go."

Alfred stared blankly at him, unsure if he'd heard the emerald-eyed boy correctly. "You want to do... what?"

"You heard me you tosser," Arthur sighed. "A romance. Look, I've been giving it some thought since he suggested it, actually, and I think it would be a good idea. It's a theme we can do a lot with, and it would work relatively well with the dialogue."

"Yea, but-but-" Alfred sputtered. "A romance? That's not really my forte. Besides, are you really OK with us just giving direction from the sidelines?" Arthur shrugged.

"It doesn't bother me. And since we can use other students as actors, we might as well take advantage of it."

Alfred cocked his head and gazed at the boy incredulously. Was he really serious?_ It beats a tragedy, but I don't know if I'm really comfortable with writing a romantic story with this guy,_ he thought. But they really didn't have any other ideas, so...

"Alright," he agreed, holding his hands up in defeat. "A romance it is. Now the question is, where do we start?"

"Well," Arthur ran the pad of his thumb across his lip thoughtfully. "I think it would be best to do some sort of forbidden type romance, since the original story is about a man breaking the law." Alfred suppressed a frown. He'd never really been one for the forbidden romance type stuff. He preferred the sweet kind of romance, where the couple ended up with their happy ending and all went right with the world. Yea, it was cheesy. But secretly, he'd always envisioned himself ending up like the pairs in those movies one day.

"Is there any way we could make it have a happy ending?" Alfred pressed. Arthur shook his head.

"I seriously doubt it. Besides, happy endings like that aren't practical. They don't happen in real life, so I see no reason to include one in a mere play."

"God, you're so negative," Alfred muttered, falling back on his hands to support himself. "I'd like to know what got all those girls to fall for you, 'cause it sure as hell wasn't your personality. Do you even know anything about romance?"

"More then you, obviously," Arthur snorted. "Have you ever even kissed a girl?"

"Of course I have!"

Lies, obviously. He'd been the boy in second grade that ran around the play ground in fear of getting cooties as the class girls chased him about. Not that most boys hadn't been that way, but Alfred had always been particularly adamant about the subject. Then, as he got older, he decided that he only wanted to give those first, most important things, away to his special person. That was why he was so picky when it came to girls, and why he never dated, despite the pressure from Soren to just go ahead already and get a girlfriend. He didn't want just any girl- he wanted his first girlfriend to be his last one. Matthew called him a hopeless romantic. Soren called him and idiot. Either way, that was what he wanted, even given his lack of experience in the field.

"Oh really?" Arthur inquired skeptically. "Well, how about a boy?" Alfred blanched.

"A-a boy? No way dude, that's weird."

"Even so, there are plenty of straight guys who have. And if you remember in old England, women weren't allowed to act, so men played all the parts, even in romances."

"Oh." Alfred crinkled his nose. "That's right, I remember reading about that... but uh... have you ever, I mean..." he trailed off, staring at the floor. The current topic of conversation was making him somewhat uncomfortable, but he couldn't help feeling the tiniest bit curious about what the small Briton had already done in regards to that.

"Me?" Arthur quirked an eyebrow. "Yea, only a handful though, and girls are much preferred. I didn't particularly enjoy any of them, but its not like it disgusted me."

"Oh..." Alfred's mouth went dry. Well, the boy had said that despite his being straight, fooling around with guys didn't bother him.

"But that's irrelevant to the current subject," Arthur interjected. "We were discussing the play."

"Oh yea, ahaha right."

Arthur tossed him a curious look, but abandoned it quickly with a shake of his head. "Lets get started."

O~O~O

"Clearly, you have never done theatre before," Arthur grimaced. "The stage direction we decided on is right there on the paper, just do what it says!"

"It's two o'-frickin-clock in the morning!" Alfred whined, slumping against the library door. "And besides, it's too fucking dark to see where I'm going. Can't we just call it a night?"

"And do what? No way, we're so close to being done, its pointless to go to sleep now," Arthur argued fervently. Once they'd finally decided on a theme, the ideas had rushed out in a whirlwind, and in no time flat, they were nearly finished. Arthur could have happily continued for hours, however, his American partner was less the enthusiastic about their progressing work, and was on his fifth monologue that night about how tired he was. It was grating Arthur's nerves.

"But Artieeeee," Alfred groaned. Arthur twitched at the nickname.

"For the last time, no. We're getting this done tonight. I have other classes I need to be worrying about, you know."

"Yea, so do I. That's why I'm not enjoying the staying up until all hours thing here. I'm gonna flunk my bio test on Monday at this rate!"

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Arthur retorted. Even in the dark, he could make out the American's frustrated and, admittedly, tired glare. He looked as if he was going to fall off his feet. "Oh fine," he relented. "Just one more scene and we can go to sleep."

"Yaaaay!" Alfred exclaimed softly, a grateful smile flitting across his lips. "God I'm so fucking tired... OK what scene?"

"The one where the pair are dancing," Arthur explained nervously. It was the only one they had yet to go through, and Arthur felt compelled to practice it at least once before they eventually put the whole thing together. On the other hand... his stomach churned uncomfortably. Practicing stage direction and line correlation was, of course, absolutely necessary. And it wasn't like they would be doing it in class. Even so, the idea of- of dancing with that idiot, play or not, didn't sit well with him.

"Cool," Alfred yawned. Clearly the bloke was completely out of it. Just an hour before, he'd been resisting the dancing scene with all his heart. And now here he was complying with it like it had been his own idea.

"Ah well, alright," Arthur muttered. "So, six paces to the left, and then you come forward, and..." There they were again, those damned butterflies of disgust.

"Yea yea I know," Alfred cut in, taking his hand. "It's ballroom dancing right?" he asked, words tumbling awkwardly out of his mouth. He sounded, in all honesty, drunk off his ass. _Well, everyone's different when they're tired,_ Arthur reminded himself, and was about to grab the boy's side, when Alfred slipped his other hand around his waist.

"Hold on, why do you get to lead?" Arthur growled. "Clearly I'm the guy here."

"Nuh-uh," Alfred laughed good-naturedly. "'Cause you're shorter, so you get to be the girl." What was with this change of character? He was acting the way he might around Matthew and Soren, all playful and happy. It was setting Arthur on edge. Alfred yawned again, covering his mouth this time. "Damn, I really am tired."

"Really, I couldn't tell," Arthur rolled his eyes. The boy wasn't lying. He'd been up nearly every night that week, pacing around the room until all hours in silence, only glancing at his books on occasion and then going right back to wearing the wood down. It was driving Arthur out of his mind.

"You should really be more observant then," Alfred chuckled. "And if it gets me to sleep sooner, I'll let you do this your way. So, what are your orders, captain?"

"I lead," Arthur grumbled, yanking the American's to large hands off his side. "And you stop talking except for when you're supposed to."

"Not a problem. You going to start?"

"No, since you're the girl and your lines come first."

"Oh." He gave him a lopsided grin. "Right! OK uh what was it..."

"Alfred."

"Right right, I remember. Man you sure do like saying my name tonight." Arthur reddened at the suggestive nature of the words, and resisted the urge to elbow him in the gut. If this was how the twat got when he was tired, Arthur couldn't even begin to imagine him when he was drunk.

"OK, here we go." Alfred cleared his throat, and looked down at Arthur, giving him a nod. Taking the cue, he stepped backwards, and they began their silent waltz about the room.

"Nervous - very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? For it is only my love for you, dear sir, that makes me as I am. If you would only take me, then perhaps this monster within me would cease to exist."

Arthur ignored the sensation of his skipping heart. It sounded so odd, those words that should have been a woman's coming out of Alfred's mouth. He made no alterations in his voice, as he had been jokingly doing earlier. There were no awkward glances as a young girl might give when saying such a thing, not the slightest flickering of his eyes. If anything, his voice had obtained a rich, yet whispering baritone effect due to his exhaustion, vibrating the air around them like the strings of a viola. And his eyes- they stared into him, never faltering or breaking away. Haunting him, like the vulture's eye of which the main character spoke in the true story of the Tell-Tale Heart.

"Indeed, you speak of foolish things, but I cannot deny your feelings are true. For even now, there has come to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. Your heart, my dear, is it not?" Arthur replied, not missing a beat. He stepped forward again, narrowly missing Alfred's feet. It was a little clumsy, their dancing, but he had to give the boy some credit. He was a boy, acting the dancing role of a girl. A boy who he assumed hadn't even had practice dancing as the male before. He'd stepped on a toe or two, but his rhythm was steady and movements were fluid.

"What else could it be? Inside my chest, it drums so loudly that I fear someone will discover us. But what is this? I believe that I can feel your heart as well. For my head aches, and I fancy a ringing in my ears at the sound of yours pounding with my own."

"To say that I have not enjoyed your company would be a lie most vile. But, I find myself getting pale and somehow wishing you gone, my love. For if you were not here with me, perhaps this dangerous feeling that has risen in my chest, this violent pounding of my heart, would have remained only as a spark, or a flicker. But now, I find that it is on the verge of consuming me whole." Arthur shuddered at his own words, despite himself. One last line; he just had one more line and they would finally be done. He opened his mouth to speak, but found the voice of his partner cutting off his own.

"It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain," Alfred began, voice, barely rising above a ghost of a whisper, mouth lowering dangerously close to his own. "But once conceived, it haunted me day and night. This notion, that perhaps, most possibly, I may love you." They were no longer dancing. In fact, Arthur found that somehow, he had run himself into the side of a bookshelf, and his back rested gently against the cool wood as Alfred loomed over him, hands on either side of his head, and their lips just a breath apart.

Arthur's heart raced furiously in his chest, reminding him terribly of the scene they had just acted out. When had they gotten to close? So mind-numbingly close, that he could smell the cocoa from earlier on the other's breath, and taste the mint gum that he had been chewing not an hour before. Arthur stared, hypnotized, into those electrifying cerulean eyes that held him through a half lidded stare. Neither of them moved. Arthur couldn't even tell if he was breathing. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of stillness, he found it in him to speak.

"Those were my lines, you wanker," he said softly, pressing back further against the shelf so as to avoid meeting the others mouth when he spoke. "Remember correctly, would you?"

"Oh, yea," Alfred murmured. "Sorry about that. It's weird, I knew that was your line, I just spaced and felt like I needed to say that. Anyway, it's over so when... can... I..." He trailed off brokenly, head inching in a jerking motion toward Arthur's shoulder until it finally fell sideways onto him. Wild strands of hair tickled the Britons neck, and alas, he could still feel the boys breathing on his neck for their closeness, but this was certainly an improvement. _Now to just get my heart to calm down,_ he thought bitterly.

The organ was thudding so loudly and quickly in his chest, it nearly pained him to breathe, and he was forced to take quick, sporadic breaths just to get oxygen in. Alfred, damned git, was already asleep on his shoulder, body slumping unsteadily against his own. He'd never seen someone sleep standing up, but at this rate, he wasn't going to be seeing it much longer. The American was bound to fall over eventually, and there was no way in hell Arthur was going to stand there acting as a pillow for the spoiled brat all night.

Slowly taking deep, calming breaths, he finally managed to relax. It had been a long while since he'd been that close to anyone's face, and the idea of it being_that _person was enough to make him anxious. Who wanted their arch-enemies lips that close to them? Gently, he carried Alfred's weight on his shoulders and lifted the boy away from the shelf, setting him lightly down on the floor a couple feet away. Well, if that wasn't the most traumatic experience he'd ever been through, he didn't know what was.

Arthur lowered himself tenderly onto the floor beside him, sitting cross-legged as he watched the other boy sleep. There wasn't much light in the room, as they hadn't managed to get the lamps on, and there was no moon because of the still thrashing storm outside. But even in the darkness, it was becoming more and more impossible for Arthur to deny how handsome Alfred was, especially considering the close proximity at which they had just been standing.

His eyes, bright and illuminated (when they were open), lit up the entirety of his face, making it glow in an impossible way. His teeth were straight and white (Americans and their damnable obsession with dental hygiene) and when he smiled broadly, a set of dimples ingrained themselves into his cheeks. He face was long, well structured and sharp, cheek bones high, and showing off the way that his glasses perched on his nose just so that they added to the ever present gleam in his eye, whether he was in a good mood, or a foul one. And then there were his lips, that had been so close just moments ago, that, if he had wanted, Arthur could have... _no, stop it,_ he scolded himself. What a ridiculous idea. He glanced down at the boy again, completely vulnerable as he lay curled against a stack of books. And suddenly, Arthur wanted nothing more then to do just as that dangerous voice in his head was telling him. To try that ridiculous idea.

He couldn't really pinpoint why. Perhaps, it was the fact that it had been so long since he'd even had a proper snog, that his body was simply acting on its own accord. Or maybe, it was just out of curiosity, boredom- a desire to push the boy into getting angry, into showing a reaction. But, as Arthur leaned his face ever closer to that of his teammate's, he began to think, that it was certainly none of those things.

No, Arthur supposed, it was more likely then not the idea of taking something from the boastful American that drove the continuous downward motion of his face. That, in some sort of sick, twisted way, he suddenly wanted to snatch away everything that Alfred had, that he himself had lost long before. He wanted to see the horrified expression on his face when he realized that his first kiss (because there was no way he was buying that crap about having kissed a girl before) had not only been stolen right from under his nose, but by a boy, and Arthur no less. He wanted an ounce, a mere drop, of that purity and perfection that the boy seemed to hold about him- that air that Arthur himself had been for years so desperately trying to obtain.

He wanted to snatch something of Alfred's away, something he'd never even know he was missing, and never give it back.

But all those thoughts made him sound quite mad. So he settled on the idea that he simply enjoyed seeing the other boy squirm, for as of late, it seemed to be Arthur that was getting placed in all the uncomfortable situations, not him.

Arthur felt his own fatigue wearing heavy on him as his mouth inched closer to Alfred's, and for a split moment, his rational broke through, and he froze. This was ridiculous. He was tired and his brain was completely worn out from writing, of course he would be thinking like this. He didn't want to kiss that slimy twat. The idea made him grimace in displeasure. Even so, his mouth was so close, so... there, that Arthur couldn't help but ghost his lips gently across the others before pulling away.

"I've been reading way to much Poe," Arthur muttered under his breath, touching the tips of his fingers to his mouth. "That's the only explanation for such things. And I'm tired." And he really was. He could feel his eyelids falling slowly over his emerald orbs, and ever so slowly, he lay himself down beside the snoring American, a brief heartbeat away from falling into a deep slumber.

And that's when the doors swung open.

O ~ O ~ O

Alfred tugged his covers fiercely over his head, letting out a tired groan and desperately trying to rid himself of the mute daylight that was seeping through the window.

"Come on Alfred, you have to get up, it's nearly eleven! Feliciano cooked breakfast and it's going to get cold if you don't hurry," Matthew sighed, plopping himself down on the bed and shaking Alfred's sleeping form. "I know you had a long night, but you have work to do, right? Even Arthur's already up."

Alfred furrowed his eyebrows and rolled over in bed, peaking out from under the sheets to blink at his smiling friend. Matthew was still in his pajamas, clad in a dark red t-shirt and plain gray bottoms whilst hugging his precious white bear closely to his chest. He looked well rested and at ease. Alfred envied him.

"Yea, alright," he grumbled, forcing himself out from under the blankets and letting out a loud yawn. "How long have you and Soren been up?"

"A couple hours," Matthew mused, standing up so as to give Alfred room to move. "Gilbert's still asleep. So are Kiku, Francis, Yao and Roderich. Berwald just woke up a few minutes ago, and is in the process of waking everyone else so that Feliciano's food doesn't go to waste."

"That many people are still asleep?" Alfred sputtered. "Then why can't I go back to sleep?"

"Because it's already too late, and you're the one who caused us so much trouble last night, so you owe it to at least help with the dishes."

Oh yea. Last night had happened. For a moment, Alfred wondered if perhaps it had all just been a terrible dream. In all honesty, he couldn't remember much towards the end of it. He was vaguely aware that he and Arthur had begun to work on one of the scenes, but he couldn't recall which one, or if they even finished it before he'd fallen asleep. The only thing he remembered from the night before was Matthew shaking him awake, and the sprint back to the cabin through the pouring rain. Apparently, Alfred's wishes had not gone out, because the team had been searching for the duo almost the entirety of the night up to that point, wandering through the rain in search of their lost teammates. It took them a while to find a way into the castle, Soren had explained, because the front doors were locked. Fortunately for them, one of the teachers had left a window open on the second floor, and after something akin to a human ladder, the team had hauled themselves up and began their search for the library.

"Sorry," he apologized, sliding out of bed and rubbing his eyes. "Really, I am. We weren't paying any attention and before we knew it, well..."

"You had us worried out of our minds," Matthew informed him sternly. "Really, we looked all through the forest, and around the castle. We even managed to find Laura's cabin and knocked to ask if she had seen you guys. Fortunately it was her that answered, as it was about twelve at that point. Ludwig remembered you said you'd be in the library, so we figured you must have gotten locked in. But still... even after we knew that, Soren and I were so scared! What if something terrible had happened? It wouldn't be the first time you got yourself hurt and lost this week."

"I know," Alfred murmured, twisting his hands together. "I'll be more careful, I promise. I hate to worry you guys, it's just... this stuff always seems to happen to me."

Matthew gave him a tired smile and a quick hug. "Just as long as you try. And don't get yourself killed, OK?"

"Can do!" he grinned, saluting his friend. Matthew laughed and shook his head.

"What are we going to do with you?"

"Let me switch rooms?" he offered. "Cause I gotta tell you, after everything that's happened this week, I don't know how much more of this guy I can take. Even with the play wri-oh!" he exclaimed. "We actually managed to finish it! And we used your idea Matt, you know, to go with the romance thing? We figured as long as we have access to the extra actors, we might as well used them to put a girl and a boy into the main parts."

"That's great!" Matthew beamed. "But, weren't you guys worried about not being able to direct things properly because you wouldn't be the leads?"

"At first," Alfred admitted. "But we practiced and went over it so much, I think that we should be OK to just direct from the sidelines."

"Well, I'm glad you two reached a consensus," Matthew chuckled. "Now come on, Feliciano's got breakfast on the table, and I certainly don't want to miss it."

"Damn straight, I'm starving," Alfred groaned, starting toward the door. "I mean, no lunch yesterday, and no dinner cause we were locked in the freaking library! Maaan I wanted that gelato."

"Don't worry, Feliciano saved you guys some, it's in the freezer," Matthew informed him. "We did eat without you though, cause we figured you were just taking a while, and Gilbert was getting impatient. Sorry about that."

"It's cool. As long as I get breakfast. Speaking of food..." he glanced at his friend as they started down the steps. "How was... I mean, how was your cooking thing with that guy?" Matthew brightened, giving a nonchalant shrug and pulling Kuma closer to him.

"It went... well," he smiled. "I don't think he's mad at me anymore, so I'm happy. He seems to be in a better mood overall, actually. I wonder what happened that made him so cheery all of a sudden?"

"You still want to talk with that guy?" Alfred pressed. "Even with his personality?" Matthew frowned.

"I don't think his personality is... that bad. I mean, the flirting is a bit of an issue I suppose. I have math with him and he's always coming on to some girl. And I suppose he is a little bit of a trouble maker, but then again, so are you and Soren. Also, he's kind of a pervert but..."

"But?" Alfred asked incredulously. "Where's the but here?"

"I'm not sure he's really such a bad person, once you get to talk to him. He told me a lot about France yesterday, and it was really fun to listen to. And then I told him about Canada, and he asked if I liked hockey, and-"

"That still doesn't change how he acted towards you at first," Alfred cut in. "You're just going to forget all that?" Matthew glanced slowly at him and, to Alfred's surprise, shook his head.

"No, I don't think I can forget the way he treated me. But, if he were to change, maybe I could forgive him?" The line was formed as a question, as if, perhaps, Matthew was asking himself just that. Alfred felt his heart sink. He didn't want his friend to be unhappy, so if Matty wanted to be friends with Francis, it really wasn't his place to stop him. Even so, he worried.

"Well, never mind that," he said quickly. "Look, you do whatever you, whatever you think is right, OK? But if he ever starts bothering you..."

"I know, I know," Matthew chuckled. "You and Soren will be right there."

"Oh, Alfred, Matthew, good morning!" A quiet voice exclaimed from behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Kiku standing there, tugging at the ends of his pale white shirt and smiling politely. "How are you feeling, Alfred? Your cold hasn't come back from having to walk through the rain, has it?"

"I should be asking you that!" Alfred grinned. "You guys were the ones up all night looking for us in that downpour. If a single one of you sneezes, I promise I'll be there in an instant with a tissue. It's my fault after all."

"Ah thank you!" Kiku exclaimed bowing his head. "But it's not necessary to go to such lengths. We were all very happy to have found you both. It was no trouble!"

"Yea, the hardest part of it all was just waking you up," Matthew snickered. "You kept whining and rolling around and telling Arthur to shut up. It took us ten minutes to even get you to open your eyes."

Kiku let out an amused chuckled. "You were quite a handful to get back to the cabin. You and Arthur were bickering the whole way, although I think you were probably half asleep for most of it."

"Yea I don't remember that," Alfred admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh well, what are you gonna do? You just woke up right? We were on our way to get breakfast. You too?"

Kiku nodded. "Feliciano was quite excited about what he was cooking for breakfast today, and it would be a shame if I didn't get to try it," he smiled warmly. "Is Ludwig already awake as well?"

"He was the third one up," Matthew informed him as they began down the stairs again. "He woke Feliciano after that and it's been kind of a slow progression since then. Surprisingly, Romano woke up relatively early, not long after his brother. He was grumbling about having something to do."

"Wonder what that could be?" Alfred mused, hopping off the last step and into the living room.

"None of your damn business." The reply came from the kitchen. Romano scowled at them as he reached into the cabinets, grabbing a stack of plates. "Feli and I are going to go out in a little while, so don't wait up for us to eat."

"Ve~ Fratello, don't be so mean!" Feliciano chirped carrying a large platter covered in, well, some sort of food, toward the kitchen island. "Roma and I are going to head down to the school in a couple minutes and see if we can't catch the train."

"Whatever for?" Kiku asked curiously.

"And how do you know the school's even open? It was all locked up last night," Alfred reminded him.

"Oh, I checked the train schedule when we got back yesterday," Feliciano replied. "It runs on Sundays, so I can only assume that means the school is open, right?"

"True," Alfred agreed.

"Anyway," He turned to Kiku and wiped his hands on the plain white apron that covered his front. "Romano and I are going to church. It is Sunday of course, and I feel bad for missing last week. Grandfather would have scolded us if he knew. When we were wandering around the town the other day, I noticed they had one, a church I mean. It was too rainy for me to tell weather it was Catholic or not, but either way, we should still go and say a prayer at least, even if we don't stay for mass."

"You're Catholic?" Matthew blinked. Feliciano nodded.

"Yes, it is quite uncommon to find an Italian that is not, though not impossible by any means. Antonio said he might join us, but he's still taking a shower so I don't know if he'll make it in time."

"You guys are good," Alfred admitted, flopping down on the couch. " I don't remember the last time I went to mass. I think it was Easter."

"Oh?" Feliciano perked. "You're Christian then?" Alfred shrugged.

"I'm the once a year kind. But anyway, you guys aren't going to get to eat breakfast with us? Even though you cooked it?"

"That's the idea," Romano grumbled.

"We'll save some for you," Matthew offered. Feliciano laughed brightly.

"Ve~ thank you! But really it's all right; I'll make something for brother and I when we get home. At that point it will be more like lunch. It's already eleven now, and we'll probably be back around twelve thirty, if we stay for all of mass."

"Sooo what did you make?" Alfred asked, jumping up to get a better look at the food.

"Brioche," Romano informed him, shoving a plate into his hands. "It's an Italian sweet bread."

"We made coffee and hot chocolate too!" Feliciano grinned.

"Man, there seems to be a lot of hot chocolate lately," Alfred blinked, grabbing a roll and placing it on the porcelain plate. "Speaking of hot chocolate, where's Arthur?"

"What does Arthur have to do with hot chocolate? And when did you two get so friendly with each other as to use your names?" Matthew teased lightly.

"Between you and Elizaveta..." He grumbled.

"What about me?" she asked, appearing suddenly beside them.

"Oh, nothing," Alfred smiled innocently. "Where is everyone else? I was getting the riot act about being one of the last ones up, but I'm not seeing any of our team mates rushing down the stairs."

"They're coming," Elizaveta assured him. "The line for the shower is pretty long today, and everyone's hanging out in their rooms until Antonio, Arthur and Ludwig finish up." She took a sip of coffee and scrunched her nose. "Feli, do we have cream and sugar?"

"Arthur too?"

Elizaveta's eyes lit up mischievously and she nodded. "Yea, I ran into him a little bit before he went in. He was mutter something about feeling disgusting, 'bloody yank' this and 'damn git' that. You want to tell us what happened last night? How was your little date?" She grinned, drumming her fingers on the counter.

"Alfred and Arthur went on a date?" Feliciano cried, clapping his hands together happily. "Ve~ I'm so happy for you both!"

"I-idiot!" Alfred stammered. "Who said anything about that? We were trapped in a library!"

"Well he's mad at you for some reason," Elizaveta pointed out. "So you must have done or said something that upset him."

"The hell should I know," he grumbled. "He's always mad at me."

"Who is?" Francis inquired, slipping past them and grabbing a pastry.

"God you people sure do like to pop up out of nowhere and scare a guy!" Alfred muttered, flinching at the sound of the French boy's voice. "I didn't even hear you come down!"

"Right, that's because I'm a ghost," Francis joked, dipping the roll into a yellow mug filled with cocoa. "Now, who were you talking about?"

"Nothing, nothing, never mind," Alfred grumbled, taking a bite of his own breakfast. His stomached warmed at the feeling of food, and he licked his lips. "Whoa, hey this stuff is pretty good!"

"If you actually dip it, it tastes better," Francis told him, taking a sip of his drink. "Is Matthew down here?"

Alfred scowled. "Who wants to-"

"Ah, I'm over here!" Matthew called, popping up from behind a chair where he had been sitting with Kiku on the floor. Francis laughed and walked over to the pair, settling down beside them. Alfred, annoyed gaze still locked on the boy, followed suit, sitting cross-legged next to Kiku. Even if Matthew had decided to trust him, he wouldn't.

"Well, you're certainly awake this morning. I didn't expect that, after the night we had. Are you sure you're feeling all right? You're not sore or anything?" Francis asked gently.

"Yes, of course I'm fine!" Matthew insisted. "It was just a bit of rain."

"Yes," Francis chuckled, and odd sort of smile coming across his face. "Just a bit of rain."

"Matty, where's Soren?" Alfred cut in. "Is he in his room?" Matthew shook his head.

"Last I remember, he said he was going upstairs, you know, to the third floor. That was just before I went in to wake you up, so he should still be there."

"Will you come help me look for him?" Alfred begged, searching for any excuse to get the two away from each other. He really did want to find Soren, but if he could get Matthew to come along, well, that would be a bonus.

"You'll find him, Alfred," Matthew chuckled. "It's not that big of a house."

"Right..." He sighed, defeated, and set his dishes on the floor. "I'll be back in a few. And don't worry about the dishes, I'll get them." With a wave of his hand, he stood and retreated up the stairs. Damn, that hadn't worked so well. He didn't hate Francis, per se. He just didn't like the idea of him getting close to Matthew, especially since the boy clearly had those types of intentions in mind. His friend had a habit of giving himself up to every person he met. It wasn't a bad thing, but it wasn't really a good thing either, when it came to people like Francis. _Oh well,_ he thought, letting out a frustrated sigh. I'll just watch them closely. As long as he's not being a bother, there shouldn't be any harm in letting them become friends, but I'll have to make sure he doesn't start acting the way he was before. After all, Matthew was practically his brother, and brothers looked out for one another, no matter what.

"Are you kidding me?" he heard a terrified hiss echo softly down the third floor hall as he reached the top of the stairs. "But, how?"

"I have no idea!" A voice replied in quiet panic. "I was in the office, and saw your name on it so I grabbed it. It was addressed to the principal."

"Damn it!"

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know!"

Alfred inched slowly across the floor towards the upstairs living room. The whispers were quite and short, barely audible, but he recognized them. What on earth were Lukas and Tino going on about?

"Well you have to do something, because if there's no reply, they'll send another one, and we might not intercept it next time," Tino murmured.

"I know, I know!" Lukas growled. "Ugh, I can't believe...so fast...what about you?" his voice was fluctuating, becoming louder and softer as he tried to keep his tone down. Alfred strained to listen.

"I'll see what I can do. But there might not...I can try... don't know."

"Alfred?"

Alfred fought back a surprised yelp (although couldn't help jumping into the air) at the voice that had whispered so suddenly into his ear. Who the hell...?

"Soren." He breathed in relief, backing into Kiku's room where the blonde was hiding out. Gently, he shut the door, careful not to make a sound that might alert the duo that they were there. When it was closed, he turned to him.

"What the fuck man that was not cool." He growled, keeping his voice low.

"Sorry sorry!" Soren laughed quietly, throwing his hands up in defense. "I saw a shadow move across the floor and I was wondering who else was up here, 'cause their voices hadn't gotten any closer."

Alfred gave him a suspicious look. "How long have you been up here?" Soren shrugged.

"Couple minutes."

"You've been eavesdropping this whole time? Soren!"

"Hey, you were listening too," Soren muttered, flopping down on Kiku's bed. "Anyway, did you get what they were talking about?"

Alfred furrowed his brow. "Something that arrived at the office for Lukas. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. I'm assuming it was a letter."

"Yea, that's what I got," Soren agreed. "I was on my way up to pull him down for breakfast when I over heard the two of them talking. I literally got up here like, five minutes ago."

"So after Kiku and Elizaveta came down."

He nodded. "Yea, Kiku was actually on his way down when I started up."

"What were they saying before?"

"It was mostly Tino trying to get Lukas to calm down. Then he took out this piece of paper and let him read it which lead to a lot of swearing from Lukas..." He glanced at the door. "Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen that guy show so much emotion. Whatever's going on, it must be important."

"Think we should ask?" Alfred muttered. Soren shook his head.

"No, I think we should stay out of it for now. Maybe it'll work itself out. I don't want to barge in on his private matters."

"That's another thing!" Alfred exclaimed quietly. "You brushed me off last time, but I want to know what's been going on with you lately. Ever since Monday you've been acting all careful around him and weird. What the hell is up Soren?"

His friend sighed and gave him a weary glance. "Ah... well..." Alfred cocked his head curiously.

"Yea?"

"Remember how I said that he had been looking for something all over the corridors that day?"

Alfred nodded. How could he forget? The boy had to be carried home on Soren's back he was so tired.

"Well, what he was looking for... he kept going on and on about this cross that he'd lost. I thought it might have been a necklace, or something he kept in his pocket, so I asked if he could tell me what it looked like so I could lend a hand..." Alfred listened intently.

"And then... he gave me this look. Like I'd gone crazy, and he said 'what are you stupid? I've worn it in my hair everyday since we met."

Alfred frowned. "A cross? He's never worn a cross in his hair."

"Exactly. And that's not even the strangest part." Soren paused, eyed shadowed in worry. "When I told him I had no idea what he was talking about, he laughed, actually laughed and told me to go see a doctor."

"Because you couldn't remember?" Alfred asked. Soren shook his head.

"Because apparently, I'm the one who gave it to him."

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:** Finished! Not a long chapter, but not a short one either so I'm ok with that lol. Confused? You should be XD I'm so evil lol.

*Runs from tomatoes* I'm going to get killed for the downplay of the Library scene huh? Lol. Oh well, I'm actually pretty pleased with how it turned out. can you guy's pick out which lines are from The Tell Tale Heart? Each of them have at least one line every time they , and if you were wondering about what's going on in the particular scene they created, two lovers are meeting outside the girls home. It's lined with gaurds, and it's the first time they've seen each other in a while, so they're dancing quietly in one of the gardens and they notice that they can hear each others hearts beating. That last line that Alfred said (the part that was from the original TTH) is actually what inspired a lot of how their relationship is going to develop, just a hint XD

ahahahahaha XD Francis you pervert... props to anyone who figured out the not so innocent undertone to something he said XD

Thank you sooooo much for all your reviews! It feels like I get more each chapter and it makes me unbearably happy ^^

Until next time! :D


	20. The Ukes' Interlude

**A/N:** THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! Every review, and watch, and favorite. This one is for you guys ^^ And yes, it does fit in with the story, so you may want to read it (seriously, read it you'll be confused later if you don't XD) I honestly, had soooooo much fun writing this. Seriously!

Edit: I am sooo sorry! I hadn't realized that the breakers I put in wouldn't appear on FF! TT^TT Sorry for the confusion!

O ~ O ~ O

To say that I had been irritated as of late was something of an understatement. How could it not be, when I was forced to share a room with such a person? He was so loud, overbearing, and despite the fact that he had made it into the academy as well, I didn't fancy that he was all to bright. Now that I think back on it, I believe I enjoyed life here much more happily when he would at least refute my vocal jabs at him, and wasn't so... clingy. Although, to be fair, I suppose if someone was told something that utterly ridiculous, they too would begin to worry for the mental state of the one who said it. But honestly.

My time at this academy has amounted to not even a week yet, and already I find myself growing all the more weary of this situation that I have put myself in. Even so, I have remained unnoticed for the time being, so I suppose I can't say everything has been a failure. This place... it is not at all how I imagined it to be. Is this really what I came here for? To be forced to interact with these strange, new people? It was lucky for me that Tino had been invited too, or I would be completely alone.

At this point, I cannot rightly say what my opinion of this place is. Some of the people are enjoyable to be around, while others I would rather avoid. I like a portion of my classes, but there are several I can't stand. Also, this school is far too big. I find myself out of breath simply climbing a flight of stairs! Not that I would ever admit such a thing to my teammates. That is information better kept to myself.

Running up and down those flights on Monday, I truly thought I was going to die for the ache in my lungs and the pain in my muscles. Ha! And searching for something that doesn't even exist as well! What a bother. My dreams, as of late, have become far too vivid to be considered normal. Although, if I were to be honest with myself, I suppose it's always been this way, to a degree. The doctors proclaimed that I simply have an overactive imagination. Me? And overactive imagination? That's like saying that Tino has a dark side. It's not possible. Even so, it seems as if they are only getting worse by the day. I can't remember the last time that one was so clear, that I imagined it to be real for a time.

And now comes the problem of explaining to that person.

I suppose I could just say it was a dream, but what normal person's dream sends them flying up and down the steps in search of something they never had? It would have been better if it was a night dream, but this one I had in class as I slept. He woke me as the bell rang, shaking me gently awake, and for some reason, I felt this pulling to go look for the thing he had given me in my dream. I'm sure I scared him half to death. But then again, what do I care? As soon as I told him he was the one that had given it to me, my rationale returned, and I wished only to snatch those words from the air and pull them back into my mouth. But I could not, because I no longer had it in me to speak. I collapsed in front of him. It was truly humiliating to be carried out of the school on someone's back, especially his. But I don't remember most of it, as I'm sure I fell asleep.

Ever since that day, he has treated me with so much caution- it is, admittedly, beginning to grate my nerves. And so is their arguing, those two idiots with blue and green eyes. Not ten minutes ago, they were sitting in the living room going back and forth as if they were being paid to fight. It was truly ridiculous. Just pick and idea for the play already, it can't be that difficult. The room was, thankfully, quiet now. The group was gone, and everyone else was upstairs. Finally, I had found peace.

Until I heard the ever familiar thumping of feet as a person descended the stairs. So much for that. The footsteps grew ever closer, and at once, I heard them step into the living room, accompanied by a much surprised 'oh' from their owner. I curled myself tighter against the couch. Perhaps he would decide it wasn't worth his time to talk to me. Maybe he would just get what he came down for and leave.

No such luck. He plopped down on the other end of the couch and stared at me curiously, as if I was some sort of confusing book, or a puzzle that he couldn't quite piece together. I don't understand why. I'm always perfectly blunt about how I feel; there really is no mystery here. He began talking leisurely, asking about my classes, how everything was going. I told him to shove off.

He laughed.

Damn idiot.

Then he started going on about his own classes- all the teachers he hated, people he'd talked to, girls he'd hit on. I wanted to hit HIM. And then of course, as I suspected it would, that came up. He sort of inched his way into the topic. Like when you get into a pool bit-by-bit, starting with your toes until finally, you're engulfed in water. I tried to shoot it down. He was having none of it. I squirmed uncomfortably under his imploring eyes. It wasn't any of his business what went on in my head.

I told him it was a mistake.

He said people don't nearly kill themselves for mistakes.

Maybe I'm just that kind of person.

No, you're not.

I glared at him. When was he going to drop it?

Who are you to say what kind of person I am?

Anyone else would say the same thing.

Oh really now?

He nodded. I glared harder.

Why can't you just leave this alone?

Because you're involved. And so am I.

My heart did this funny little thing in my chest when he said that. It felt all weird and fluttery, like it was jumping up and down. That's new. I wonder if I shouldn't have it checked by a doctor? I had heard that there are people with irregular heartbeats. Perhaps I was one of them.

That's irrelevant. Besides, why should it matter if I'm involved? It's my business after all.

Because it's you. It only matters because it's you.

There it went again, my heart. My stomach felt odd this time as well. As if there were little creatures flying about inside of it. That most certainly wasn't normal. I was going to have to get that inspected. Maybe I should tell Tino? For some reason, I felt I didn't want to.

You're weird. Get lost.

No way.

Leave me alone.

I can't.

Why not?

I'm worried about you. Moreover, you've hardly even talked to me since we met last Saturday, and we're teammates, not to mention we share a room. Is it so wrong that I want to know more about you?

Yes, actually it is. You're a bother. Stop talking. I'm just going to ignore you.

Lukas.

I kept my mouth shut, focusing intently on the words in the book, as if they meant something right now.

Lukas.

Stop saying my name, I thought. It's annoying. Why couldn't he just leave well enough alone?

Lukas!

There was urgency this time in his voice. What did he have to be so urgent about? All of this because of my stupid mistake? It was just a dream! I longed to shout. But I couldn't bring myself to. He sighed and moved away from me on the couch.

I'm going to find out one way or another.

That's what you think, I said to myself peering over the book at him.

We'll see, I replied.

He smiled. You talked to me!

I frowned and stuck my nose back into my novel.

He laughed. Again. That sound was getting nearly as annoying as that thing that kept me up all night.

All right, fine, I can tell when I'm not wanted.

Still smiling. Like he was the happiest guy in the world or something. What a weird person.

I'll see you later. Ah, I don't quite remember what it was I came down here for though...

He frowned, light blonde eyebrows crinkling together in thought.

The heck should I know, I grumbled.

His eyes lit up.

You ta-

Yes, I know how to talk, we've established that! Moron.

He laughed. Yet again.

That's right, I wanted water.

He had to make this much of a fuss just to get water?

Well...

He paused, pushing himself hesitantly to his feet. Just go! I thought. You're suffocating me. This air is way to heavy.

Bye, Lukas.

And with a final grin, he walked away and disappeared up the stairs.

What the hell, I thought he was down here to get water. I sighed, relaxing the muscles I hadn't even realized were tense, and let my head fall back against the couch. I could do without having to go through that again. Setting my book down on the coffee table, I curled up into a ball and lay the side of my face against a pillow. I felt exhausted, and I hadn't even moved. Slowly, I closed my eyes and began my decent into sleep. But not before hearing a last annoying laugh echo around the room. The laugh that was as obnoxious as his. That thing that kept me up until all hours with its noises. I frowned, covering my ears.

Stupid ghost.

O ~ O ~ O

I twisted my hands together nervously, stealing a glance at the tall, blue-eyed blonde who lay peacefully on the bed parallel to mine. He was looking over a textbook. It looked a little like science, but from here, I really couldn't tell. One would think that after a week of it, I would have gotten used to staying the same room as him. No dice. It was still as awkward as ever. Presumably, more awkward for me then him.

It wasn't like I disliked him. Not in the slightest. In fact, at times, I was grateful for him, who seemed to notice me more then anyone else in the house. He was always defending me, including me, even when I was simply studying alone, he would try to join in, as if trying to make me feel welcome. It wasn't a bad feeling. But it was strange; especially when I hadn't said or done anything that would warrant such kind actions. So it was awkward, because I didn't know how to ask him why he was doing such things for me, or even how to thank him for his kindness.

He was, a little scary, I would admit. He was always so silent and serious, it was hard to talk to him, and at times I got uncomfortable when we were alone. Like now. As far as I knew, Lukas was downstairs, reading or working, most likely sleeping. And besides him, I didn't really talk to many of our teammates. It wasn't as if anyone was unfriendly towards me of course! Quite the opposite, they were all very kind. But I was just too shy to really try becoming close with any of them. Despite Lukas's griping about him, I found Soren to be quite an interesting, and funny person, and besides my dear friend, he was the one I talked to the most. But even he already had Alfred and Matthew, and, I had noticed as of late, was growing closer to Ivan bit by bit.

Kiku had also been very friendly towards me. But then again, he was friendly towards everyone. He was already close to Yao, and now spent most of his time with his childhood ystävä or Ludwig and Feliciano. To be honest, it was rather lonely. I wasn't unhappy by any means, and I enjoyed my time with Lukas as much as I had before we came here, but it always felt as if we were the two outliers.

That was why I was so grateful for his kindness, you see. It made me feel welcome, even if he was a little nerve-wracking to be around.

"Tino, d' ya 'nderstand this p'rt of the book?" he asked suddenly, spectacle encased eyes staring at me from across the room.

"Ah, let me see it," I replied, jumping out of bed and shuddering at the feel of the cold wood beneath my feet. He sat up, and held it out for me to see, placing a slender finger beneath a single paragraph. Ah, so he was in chemistry. I was in AP, along with Soren, and I can honestly say that after one week, it was the single most tiring class I'd ever taken.

"Oh, that's stoichiometry," I explained, taking the book from him gently. "It's a little confusing at first, but you should get the hang of it after a while. It's just a matter of setting it up right, you know?" I smiled awkwardly at him. Was it too forced? Did he think it was weird? He blinked at me, cocking his head.

"Show me."

"Oh ah of course!" I stammered, surprised at the quiet authority in his tone. It was rare of him to order anything of anyone. Was he mad at me? I set the textbook down on his bed and glanced over the first problem on the page. "Y-you don't have a pencil do you?"

He nodded, picking one up that was hidden in the folds of his sheets, and handing it to me, holding on to it a little longer the necessary. I wondered if he was tired.

"Alright, so if you start here..."

I don't really know how long I talked. Maybe ten minutes, perhaps more. What I do remember is why I stopped talking.

"Ya h've really pr'tty eyes," he said suddenly, cutting into my speech about significant figures.

That got my attention.

"Wha-what?" I exclaimed, my heart fluttering nervously. "I, uh, thank you very much. They're really not anything special though. Not like yours."

His eyes truly were beautiful. Deep, sapphire orbs that were hidden modestly behind his glasses, contrasting perfectly with his straw-blonde hair. When I was this close, I could make out flecks of lighter blues, and the rich ring of pale yellow that sat outside his pupil. Compared to that, my eyes were such a boring, dull shade of brown.

"My eyes?" He stared at me. "Ya th'nk my eyes 're nicer th'n yours?"

I forcibly pushed down the heat rising to my cheeks. Why had I said something so embarrassing? He didn't want to be told something like that.

"Ah well, I mean, mine are so dull..."

"No, they're not. They're r'lly warm. I like them."

I was at a loss for words. It was certainly a very kind thing to say, but why would he? He didn't need to waste his time complimenting me. Besides, I wasn't really sure that was the type of thing acquaintances said to each other.

"Oh... well um..." I stared down at the book. How had the situation become like this? And why did he seem so calm? This certainly wasn't something to be calm over. My stomach lurched with butterflies as I felt the bed shift with movement.

"Th's st'ff is hard," he sighed, rolling over on his back. "How ab't we take a bre'k?"

Just like that, the topic of conversation changed. The pang in my chest faded, and I nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure! Um, but I'm pretty certain that everyone's busy right now..."

"That's ok. I w'nt to t'lk to you."

There they were again. Butterflies.

"Oh! Then, what did you want to talk about?"

We talked about everything. From classes to sports, from food to friends, and our old schools. Since Berwald was the only one from his school on our team, he had had been forced to leave all of his friends behind. Suddenly, I didn't feel so alone anymore. At least I had Lukas. Berwald didn't have anyone. I should try harder to be friends with him, I told myself. Maybe, with time, we'll become really close. The more I thought about it, that didn't sound so awful.

I smiled.

He laughed.

And everything felt good.

Because before I even realized, the nerves that had been tugging at my insides disappeared, and were replaced by a faint, pulsing warmth.

O ~ O ~ O

It fucking pisses me off.

Or rather, he does.

Him with his happy-go-lucky attitude, and that stupid grin of his, and his 'Lovi' this and 'Lovi' that.

It's disgusting.

I shivered at the cold rain that whipped around us as we trudged through the village. Why had I agreed to this again? Oh yea, cause I'm a fucking pansy, that's right. To make matters worse, we couldn't even find the stupid place, and those other two morons had disappeared. Literally, vanished. Stupid weather, getting us separated. Now I'm gonna have to carry everything myself. Oh well, at least he hadn't come along. That would be just like him, sticking his nose where it's not wanted. Like the other day. Damn bastard had been rooting through my stuff! He claimed he was looking for toothpaste, but I seriously fucking doubt it.

Anyway, my week has been miserable enough with out this weather. Besides the fact that my brother had practically been hanging off that potato bastard all week, I had to deal with being followed around by him practically every fucking day. Yes that's right, because of half of my freaking classes are with that dick, and I'll tell you this much, it's hella hard to pick up girls with some guy following you around! It scares them off...

OK fine. He didn't scare them off damn it. In fact every time HE showed up, they completely stopped paying attention to me and spent the rest of the time fawning over him.

It fucking pisses me off.

I mean, what's so great about him anyway? He's Spanish. Spain's not so great. I'm Italian. We used to rule the fucking world. Not to mention the fact that I'm ten times better looking and far more charismatic. And my cooking is a thousand times better. I don't understand why they picked HIM to be a cook- I would do a better job any day of the week.

Take Wednesday for example. There I was, messing around in kitchen cause I seriously wanted a cannoli, and who the hell pops up beside me?

Guess.

And he's bouncing around going, 'Lovi what are you doing?' 'Lovi let me help!' and 'you look so cute in that apron.'

What the fuck?

What real man wants to be told that he looks cute in an apron? Especially by another guy damn it! It was humiliating. And no, I did not turn ten shades of red and stutter and crap.

H-hell no.

I did what any guy would do, and punched him in the gut. I would have gone lower, but I know what that feels like, and it pains me to even think about it. And of course he just laughs, and the moron is holding his stomach so he's obviously in pain. And I'm thinking seriously? Why are you still here, I'm just going to hit you again. If it hurts just leave.

But nooooo. He's smiling that shitty smile of his and after he's done hunching over (cause my punches are that freaking fierce) he actually offers to help me. Me! I'm Italian, I know how to cook a dish from my own fucking country you ass! And of course he doesn't listen at all, and he starts adding and mixing and shit, and I'm lucky I jumped in before he completely ruined it because he clearly had no idea what he was doing.

'What are you doing you asshole? You probably ruined it!' I yelled. I was pissed as hell, cause damn it I really wanted a cannoli right then and I definitely didn't have enough ingredients to remake it. So I stick my finger in the bowl to taste it and make sure he hadn't completely destroyed the filling and what does he do?

He leans forward and licks it.

Right.

Off.

My.

Finger.

I should have shoved it down his throat and choked him to death, that bastard. And as I'm trying to think of what horrible torture device to use on him before his untimely demise, he fucking SMIRKS at me. Teeth and all.

'I don't know, Romano, I think it turned out all right.'

'You bastard! Shit you don't just take stuff off of people's f-fingers like that!'

And yes, that was a totally manly stutter right there.

And he gives me this look. Even now as I'm mulling over this whole series of events, it's a look I can't quite place. If I had to pick a word to describe it?

Predatory.

Like the wolf creeping up on the rabbit, poised to swallow him down in one fell swoop. Because for one single second, Antonio actually looks like he wants to eat me.

Talk about unnerving.

'You want me to give it back?'

And he's inching his face towards mine, with that dangerous spark still igniting those forest green eyes, and I can feel his breath...

And for once, I do the totally unmanly thing and yelp, scrambling away from him as fast as my wobbly legs can manage. Which, apparently isn't far, because I end up falling backwards onto my ass, and bringing the bowl of filling down with me. And I'm cursing and swearing under my breath because I've got white crap all over me, and I look up at the bastard who caused this mess, and he's just staring down at me all awe struck.

'You bastard are you going to help me or not?' I snapped. And he lets out this really heavy sigh and starts smiling again (his normal crappy smile, not... whatever that had been just a moment before) and shaking his head. Which I think means he isn't going to give me a hand until he bends down and takes the bowl from off my lap and offers, what I can only guess, is his best attempt at an apologetic look.

And I hate to say it but its pretty damn good.

'Sorry about that. Are you alright, Lo- Roma?'

And I want to shout, no you fucktard I'm not OK! My butt hurts, I'm covered in ricotta cheese, and you just scared the living shit out of me.

But I don't, cause I'm Italian and I have enough class to recognize that he's helping and as long as he's trying to make up for it, I should forgive him. Sort of. Mostly, I was afraid that he would go back to being the more bastardly form of the bastard he was that I had just witnessed and that he would leave me on the floor to clean it up myself.

Or worse.

Feliciano waves a box of pasta around in front of my face, but I'm not really listening as we wander around the grocery store. Because I'm still trying to decide what exactly happened back there. Had he gotten mad? Was that even possible for him? I mean, that stupid too happy personality does get irritating, but that other smile... It didn't really fit him.

Obviously because it made him look a lot more clever then he actually is, and that stupid smile of his meshes with his idiocy a whole hell of a lot better.

And then I realized that I've been thinking about him this entire trip.

And it fucking pisses me off.

O ~ O ~ O

To be honest, I tried to spend as little time around him as I could.

Not that I was afraid, for at this point in my life, fear was below me.

Perhaps it's because of his attitude, so self-loving and ignorant of the world around him.

Most likely, it's simply the smell of vodka that always seems to linger around him, and has increasingly begun to envelop our shared room in a thick haze.

Whatever the reason, my time rooming with the boy known as Ivan Braginski, had thus far not been a pleasant one. Of course, for Kiku, I put up a strong face, even going as far as to make conversation with him on occasion to ease his worried mind that I was uncomfortable with my living arrangements. He was my best friend, and I'd known him long enough to realize that if I told him I was unhappy about something, he would worry himself until he was sick. Literally, he would fall ill.

I glanced out my window at the pouring rain. Unrelenting, as usual in this country. How I longed for the Chinese countryside. I had not lived here all that long before I was sent an invitation to this school. Barely a year had I been settled in this country, and only several months at the school I attended with Kiku. He himself had left Japan around March of 2011, due to the terrible earthquake. He had been offered a scholarship to a school in Britain before the incident, and when his home was struck, he was sent out of the country to take advantage of the opportunity. His family remained, and in all honesty, I'm not entirely sure when the last time he'd spoken to them was.

Although we had spent little time in school together, all of our summer days before freshman year were spent with one another, enjoying the freedom that the both of us had been sorely deprived of for quite a time.

When he began school in late march, Kiku had lived in a boarding house, courtesy of the school's scholarship. One week later, he had moved in with my family and I, and we became nearly inseparable. So, one can imagine why it was so odd being apart from him for so long. After all, we had shared a room for over half a year prior to this. Now, between classes and homework, we barely had time to talk. Besides that, he was becoming good friends with Ludwig and Feliciano, and I didn't want to intrude on their time together.

My ears pricked as the door squeaked open. Wonderful, he was back already. I turned my attention back to the electronic in my hands. It was Kiku's, but we shared it, and traded off days. Today was mine. It was a secret, one that we'd never told my parents. They were always strict about using gadgets for fun, and if they knew that I had actually played a video game before, they would assuredly be angry. When we lived in my house, we would spend many nights up playing these games together, or messing around on his computer. I held back a tired sigh. I missed those days dearly.

"You know those others left, right?"

I frowned, keeping my eyes fixed on the screen. "What others?" I muttered, playing with the buttons.

"Hmmm... I think it was Feliciano, Ludwig, Arthur, and Alfred. Oh, and that other Italian went along too."

"Romano," I added, under my breath. "Where did they go?" I asked more loudly.

"To the town. They were getting food."

I bit my lip. It felt like poor Feliciano was doing a lot of the cooking as of late. I had prepared meals several times that week, but every time I offered to lend a hand, he waved me off, insistent that he do it himself. Of course, it wasn't just me. He never let Antonio or Francis help either.

"Ah." I glanced back out the window, pulling the curtains back completely so that I could have a better view.

"You are not going with them?"

I shrugged, watching as a droplet of rain rolled down the windowpane. "If Feliciano's there, they'll get everything they need. I have no reason to accompany them."

"Fair enough."

I heard him shift uncomfortably on his feet behind me, letting out an awkward cough.

"Look, if you've got something to say, just spit it out."

He laughed dryly.

"Nothing get's past you, does it?"

"It's a gift."

He laughed again, more quietly this time.

"You... dislike me, do you not?"

I tensed. I hadn't thought I was being that obvious. "I wouldn't say dislike... More like we're completely incompatible."

"Then, are you afraid of me?"

"No. You do not scare me in the slightest."

"Then why do you say we are incompatible? You are the only one in this house who has never looked at me with worry in your eyes. Even those who are more accepting of me now, were once cautious. But never you."

I shrugged. Truly I do not know why. He bothers me, and he is hard to put up with, but I am not afraid of him.

"Just because I am not wary of you does not mean that we are a similar type of people. Don't mistake my ability to put up with you for friendship. We are not friends."

"I never suspected as much."

I frowned, finally turning to face him. He looked nervous, tugging on the ends of his gray t-shirt. How interesting. "Then why are you asking me such questions? If you are already aware of how I feel, then I don't see what more I can tell you that you do not already know."

"Well..." He paused. "I was wondering if you could not change that opinion."

I snorted. "Not unless you give me reason to." He blinked, clearly startled.

"You said you did not dislike me, but then why do you avoid me? Do not think I haven't noticed," he pressed.

"Because although I do not dislike you, it is impossible for me to tolerate you. That is why we are incompatible," I explained impatiently. What was he getting at here?

He cocked his head and to my surprise, lowered himself onto the floor, leaning back on his hands and looking up at me. "And what exactly, makes me intolerable?" I grimaced.

"Well your drinking for one thing. I know that the drinking age in this country is quite lax, as I'm sure it was in your own, but I have never once had a drop of alcohol and the fact that it's scent is now engulfing my room leaves my stomach sick. Also, you're too self-centered. You stay up until all hours on your computer, texting, talking on the phone. Do you have any idea how hard it is to sleep with that kind of noise? I understand you must miss your friends, but if you have to talk to them at one in the morning, do it somewhere else. And while I'm being honest here, you seem to be completely ignorant of any culture besides your own, particularly when it comes to mine. I would appreciate you showing my homeland a little more respect."

I felt a little out of breath after all that. It had been quite a while since I'd really given some one a piece of my mind like that. I braced myself for the worst. Surely he would be angry after all that. I expected him to jump up and deny everything, in the headstrong manner he seemed to take everything else.

But he said nothing. Simply stared up at me with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"And if I changed all these things, you would find me tolerable?"

I nodded slowly, surprised at the calm of his tone. He laughed, genuinely amused.

"Well, that is easy. Alright Wang Yao, I accept your challenge."

"What challenge? I simply told you what I find intolerable about you."

"Exactly. I will fix all of that, and more."

"Ha! I don't believe you."

"I will."

"Really?" I slid my legs off the bed. "Well then how about we make it a real challenge? You have until the end of the semester to change in such a way that I would consider you tolerable. If you can, you win the challenge. If I can still find faults that bother me, I win. If I win, I get the room."

His eyes widened. "The room?"

"Yes. All to myself. You can find somewhere else in the house to stay. As long as we're not switching rooms with other people, we shouldn't get in trouble." He nodded slowly, pushing himself to his feet.

"Very well. But if I win, I get something as well. And you must be clear as to what you want from me, or it will not be fair. You can not judge me based on something I was not aware of."

"Fair enough," I agreed. "Then what is it you want?"

He smiled innocently and stuck his hand out for me to shake. "One date."

"What?"

"If you are so confident in your victory, then that shouldn't be a problem, correct?"

I scowled at him. What was he playing at? "Alright." I extended my hand hesitantly and grasped his own. "It's a deal then. Remember, one semester, Ivan Braginski, and not a day more."

He nodded, pulling away. "This will be fun, I think," he laughed. And with a wave of his hand, he walked out the open door, and disappeared. As soon as he was gone, I fell back against my bed, staring at the ceiling numbly.

Just what had I gotten myself into?

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:** Well, there you have it ^^ I hope you guys liked all the stories. I had soo much fun writing from the other POV's. I'm so used to writing from Just Alfred and Arthur that this was a much needed break from the norm for me :D I was debating on posting this into it's own story (cause I'm planning on doing more of these throughout) but I wanted it to be easily accesible, and I wanted everyone who hasn't added me as an author, but has faved the story, to be able to read it as soon as those who added me ^^ I wanted to leave you all with something before I left, so I wrote for basically all my time on the computer for two days straight and I got it done! It's shorter then my usual chapters, but that's to be expected lol.

Also, I kind of tried to write each character a little different. Like in Lukas's part, their conversation isn't in quotes because you're hearing it in his head. Romano is remembering what happened, so the talking there is in apostraphes. I know Tino's part is pretty short, but their relationship is one of the sturdier ones at this point (even so, there hasn't been much sufin so I wanted to add it ^^) I think my favorite two are for Sure Lukas and Yao's lol.

And YES! I do love dark spain and he is going to make appearances once in a while. I figure I should explain this now, regaurding that. Antonio is 100% aware of his change in personality. He doesn't have a split personality, and he's not bipolar, that's just how he get's when he's irritated (which is pretty hard for him, so Romano must have really been pushing his button lately XD) which explains the "sorry" afterwards lol. But he will have his moments every so often, so be aware of that.

Dose russia seem a little OC here? Yea. And I know it. But I adore the softer, more human and genuinely kind version of Ivan as opposed to how people usually write him, all cruel and creepy... probably because I'm in love with him but never mind that XD I'm kinda picky about my Russia...

I'll update when I can! Thank you so much for everything, and I hoped you enjoyed it^^


	21. Sheep and Silence

**A/N:** I'M SO SORRRY. I promise you all, if I could get on my knees and apologize to each one of you, I would. This is so late it make's me ashamed of myself... So on with why...

So, you all knew I was going to be gone two weeks ago, because of band camp (which wasn't so bad because I met a couple Frosh who like hetalia, and one who LOVES it like me (yaoi included)). When I get back I don't usually do much of anything to be honest. Most of my week after is spent sleeping or hanging out with friends before school starts again. Which is mostly what I did. I tried so hard to write this chapter, but by friday last week, I'd written and erased about five drafts of this and was kind of giving up )not that I would ever stop writing I was just getting frustrated lol). To make matters worse, that weekend I got sick and was to dizzy and tired to even think about writing. So. What about this week? Well, I started school on thursday, so the beginning of my week was spent preparing for that. On Thursaday, I didn't even get a chance to touch the computer...

Do yea... there's my excuse. Pretty crappy one but that's why this is so late :( Also, I might start getting irregular like this... I pray that I'll be able to keep up, but on the second day of school, I already have an essay and two chapters of my book to read due for APUSH and a poetic analysis assignment for APLIT on monday... plus math homework and I'm in physics this year... TT^TT We'll see. It hurts when I'm late though so I'll try to keep up as normal as possible.

On that note, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my wonderful friend and beta, who is leaving tomorrow for a far off place XP Miss you!

Unfortunately, she won't have time to beta my chapters anymore, so at current I am without a beta... I know some of you have asked (and I have asked some of you) but if you seriously want to beta, please go ahead and PM me a nd I'll see how timing is... I'm a little random, and I like being able to upload chapters as soon as I'm done. You don't need to have a free schedual (cause I sure don't lol) But it would be nice if I knew that you would be able to have it done the day I sent it to you ^^

Thank you so much for all your reviews! I don't deserve them... T_T

Onward!

O ~ O ~ O

Alfred sighed quietly, flipping through the red English textbook on the table. Their class had been dragged down to the library (of all places) to read the short stories in their books. Why they couldn't have stayed in the classroom was beyond him. He supposed their teacher just wanted some peace and quiet for a change, and had decided to take advantage of the librarian's strict demeanor about the noise level. Although where said teacher was he had no idea. It seemed to Alfred that she'd slipped out at some point, leaving the students under the care of poor Ms. Tayner who was frantically rushing around and trying to control the group of miscreants.

Either way, here they were, being anything but quiet in the large and familiar room. Alfred felt and uncomfortable lump settle in his stomach as he glanced towards the open space near the doors.

_"Those were my..." "Sorry..." "To much..."_

"Hey Alfred, you alright man? You look a little pale."

Alfred glanced up at the albino who was standing over him with an expectant look in his deep crimson eyes.

"Oh, yea fine Gilbert. Just thinking..."

"What for?" Gilbert snorted. "There's no teacher."

"Ignore him." Elizaveta muttered, coming up from behind Gilbert and slapping him across the back of the head. "He's just being stupid as usual. I think it's great that you're still working."

"Well I didn't say I was working, did I?" Alfred laughed. "Just thinking, that's all."

"Well then if not work, what are you thinking about?" Elizaveta asked, sitting down beside him. Alfred shrugged.

"Come on, now you gotta tell us." Gilbert insisted, grabbing a chair on his left. "What's up?"

"Ah, I was just thinking..." He fumbled with the thoughts in his mind. Something. He had to come up with something that wasn't the night in the library. "About the play we did two weeks ago..."

"Oh yeaaaaa in theatre." Gilbert snickered. "Man the teacher really must not like you two."

Alfred felt inclined to agree.

Not that they had received a poor grade by any means. In fact, ha and Arthur had scored best in the class. Even so...

_"Boy's this is wonderful!" He had exclaimed, handing them back the script. Alfred felt a tremor of pride in his chest. After all the shit they'd gone through to write it, it was appreciated that their teacher thought it was good._

_"But there is one thing I might modify."_

_Alfred and Arthur stared at him curiously._

_"Make it more modern!" He informed them, clapping his hands together. "Oh there have been loads of plays set with forbidden loves way back then. No no do something for this day in age!" Alfred felt his body slumping._

_"You... want us to rewrite it?" Arthur stammered. "But sir, that took ages!"_

_"No my boy don't worry, it is perfect as it is. What I am suggesting is that you change the scene and perhaps the characters as well!"_

_Alfred blinked. "The characters?"_

_"Right! For example, what would be a forbidden love this day in age?"_

_"Uh... one the parents didn't approve of?"_

_"Large age differences?"_

_"People who are already married?"_

_"No you two, one which involves a couple of the same sex of course." He sighed, as if they were completely missing the point._

_"S-same... what?" Arthur stammered in protest. "But sir that's not what we had in mind. Isn't it easier to just stick with a boy and a girl?"_

_"Nonsense! You two must play the leads in your own production. Besides, that type of relationship has a much more dangerous feel to it now then any between a man and women."_

_"Do we... have to?" Alfred murmured. It had been bad enough just practicing the lines with Arthur. To actually go up and say them in front of everyone... thank god they hadn't written a kiss in the script._

_"If you want a good grade, yes I would suggest it." Mr. Brown nodded, handing them back the papers. "Class starts in ten minutes. Why don't you see what you can do about it until then?"_

Alfred slumped in his chair, hitting his forehead against the open pages of the textbook. To say that things had been awkward between he and Arthur after that was an understatement. Not that they become anything close to friends in their time together, but now even being in the same room was smothering. Awkward glances, long pauses of silence, a petrified look now and then when they actually happened to bump into each other and accidently touch. It was driving Alfred insane that he couldn't even be comfortable in his own room. Not that Arthur was making it easier.

"I'm officially declaring that as the single most miserable moment of my life. Ever."

Elizaveta laughed, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Oh come on Alfred, it wasn't that bad. I thought it was sweet, and very clever. Besides, you did so well on it, can you really complain?"

"Yes." He grumbled.

"Of course he can." Gilbert cried. "He had to act out a romance skit with a DUDE. How much more humiliating can you get?"

"How about getting beat up by a girl?" Elizaveta growled.

"Oh aha yea that too..." Gilbert agreed, giving her a nervous look. "Any way, Alfred, what did you think of MY play huh?" He grinned brightly, showing off his teeth. Alfred restrained a laugh.

"What can I say? It was... interesting."

It was indeed. Gilbert's play had been, something of a cross between a historical skit and a comedy. By the end, Alfred wasn't sure if he was supposed to be laughing or just staring numbly. Since everyone else in the room was doing the latter, he assumed that to be the more appropriate response.

"Hah it was totally awesome is what you mean!" Gilbert boasted. "Of course anything with me in it would be."

Elizaveta scowled at him. "Why you egotistical little-"

"Alright, class dismissed!" The ever-familiar voice of their teacher called over the commotion. When had she gotten back? "Don't forget to have those three stories read by next class!"

"Alright! Lunch time!" Gilbert exclaimed, stuffing his book into his knapsack. "You two coming or what?"

"No, we're just going to sit here in the library for the rest of the day." Elizaveta drawled. "What do you think, you moron?"

Gilbert shrugged. "Just making sure. But seriously, let's go, I'm starving!"

"You can't go on your own?" Elizaveta muttered, flattening her skirt as she stood.

"Me? Walk around on my own? Who do you think I am?" Gilbert exclaimed, setting his hands on his hips.

"I'd like to know who you think YOU are." She chided sourly. "Come on Alfred let's go."

"Don't be so hard on him." Alfred chuckled, stepping to Gilbert's aid. "I mean, he and I are pretty similar and you don't hate me."

"Yea but you don't go around proclaiming your own self worth for all the world to hear."

"Ouch, that hurts." Gilbert snickered, placing his hand over his heart. "Seriously, you've wounded me."

"Oh grow up." She muttered, throwing her bag over her shoulder and storming out the door.

"Sheesh what did I ever do to make her hate me so much?" Gilbert complained, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I think existing might be it." Alfred laughed. "Let's catch up with her."

They jogged out the oaken doors and glanced down the empty hall in search of their teammate.

"What the- she was just here!" Gilbert hissed, stepping out into the corridor. "Where could she have gone all of a sudden?"

"She couldn't have just disappeared." Alfred assured him. "Maybe she stepped into one of the classrooms?"

"Why would she do that? We were going to lunch!"

"What are you two standing around for?"

Alfred jumped and turned to see Elizaveta poking her head out of a door on the other side of the hallway, a curious expression on her face.

"There you are!" Gilbert sighed, exasperated. "We were wondering where you'd gone off to!" Elizaveta furrowed her eyebrows and snorted.

"What do you care where I go?"

Gilbert blinked widely, as if caught off guard by the question. He rubbed his hand across the nape of his neck and shrugged. "Well uh I mean it's not like I particularly care but-"

"Elizaveta? Who are you talking to?" A familiar voice arose from inside the room. Elizaveta glanced behind her and smiled.

"Oh, Gilbert and Alfred. We have the same English class, remember? They were just heading off to lunch. We should get going too. I can't believe you missed the bell."

"That's what happens when a musician is at work I suppose." The voice replied. Alfred cocked his head. Roderich? The brown haired boy stepped out of the room beside Elizaveta, tugging at the ends of his jacket to straighten it. "I apologize for making you wait for me."

Elizaveta giggled ad shook her head. "Don't be silly, it's no trouble at all!"

"How did you know he was in there?" Alfred blinked.

"Oh, well I asked Roderich why he's been late to lunch lately and he said he has a free the period before so he goes to the old music room and practices. I could hear a piano when I entered the hall, so I figured it was him and went to tell him class was over." She smiled.

"You can't even hear the bell when it rings?" Gilbert sneered. "What kind of an idiot are you?"

Roderich frowned and kept his place on the other side of Elizaveta as they started down the corridor. "At least I do something productive with my free period. If I recall, don't you spend yours with Antonio and Francis, goofing off?"

"Heh." Gilbert snorted. "Don't patronize me just because I have friends and you don't."

"Gilbert!" Elizaveta cut in angrily. "What is wrong with you?"

"He's the one who's being mean to me!" Gilbert shot back. "And why are you siding with him huh?"

Elizaveta's eyes went wide and she looked away. "That's none of your business!"

Alfred raised his eyebrows curiously. He didn't really understand what was going with her, but something was definitely up.

"T-the hell it isn't!" Gilbert muttered. "We're all team mates, we're supposed to tell each other stuff!"

Elizaveta glared at him coldly. "Who said that? If I recall, we were just supposed to work together. I don't remember anything about having to talk to each other." Gilbert flinched uncharacteristically. Weird, Alfred thought. Both of them were acting really strange. They never did get along, but when had it become so, vicious? They were acting like...

"You guy's are acting like Arthur and I."

"What? What's that supposed to mean?" Gilbert asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Furthermore, don't put us in the same category!" Elizaveta insisted.

"Well why not? You two are fighting just as much as we do!"

"Yea," Elizaveta said, crossing her arms, "But unlike you and Arthur, I actually can't stand him."

Alfred blanched.

"What do you mean by that, I can't stand him either! We're way worse then you two! And anyway, I was just saying you were kind of like us, that's-"

"But you guy's haven't been fighting lately, have you?" Gilbert interrupted. "I mean I've barely seen you talk since theatre two weeks ago..."

"Irrelevant." Alfred protested. "Anyway, weren't we talking about you two?"

"Absolutely not!"

"I cannot believe you three are actually arguing about such a thing." Roderich sighed in exasperation. "Please act your age."

"Sorry." Elizaveta squeaked, lowering her head.

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Alfred said nothing, staring at the ceiling as they worked their way through the labyrinthine castle. It was sunny today, a rare occasion but a most welcomed one, especially on a Monday. For once though, the florescent rays of the sun felt suffocating and unwanted to him. Rain clouds would surely fit the solemn mood that had been working it's way around their house as of late.

It wasn't as if they were all doom and gloom of course. Everything really was pretty much as it normally was. But even so, the mood just seemed a bit off at times amongst all of them. Even Soren was quieter and more restrained then usual. Alfred figured it had something to do with the Lukas thing. They'd discussed the issue amongst themselves numerous times, but both had yet to come up with and explanation for the Scandinavian boy's strange behavior.

Matthew seemed his normal self, for the most part, but Alfred couldn't help notice the puzzled lines that would set into his forehead at the strangest of times, as if he was thinking about something far more troubling then whatever was going on at that moment. Even Kiku seemed a little out of sorts. Although Alfred couldn't tell if anything was really wrong, or if it was just the strange mood of the house that was getting to him.

Either way, with Soren's newfound obsession with Lukas, and Matthew's own irksome silence, Alfred found himself spending more time around the kind Asian boy (much to Arthur's annoyance it seemed). The onyx haired boy had made fast friends with the entirety of the house, and Alfred was glad to have his company when it seemed everyone else was to busy to give him the time of day.

"Hey, Alfred, you OK?" Elizaveta asked, concern lacing her voice. "You've been staring off into space this whole time. Look, we're at the dining hall."

"Oh." He blinked, looking around. Indeed they were. Through the great doors, he could see their house gathered around the sturdy cedar table where they sat for lunch, as well as the other teams assembling in their own respective spots.

"Hey Al, we thought you guy's were never gonna show up!" Soren popped out from behind them, startling the group, but earning a laugh from both he and Gilbert. "Where ya been?"

"Sorry." He smiled, shoving his friend playfully. "We got kind of side tracked."

"Hmph well hurry up! We were waiting for you before we started eating."

"You waited?" Roderich inquired skeptically. "Whatever for?"

Soren shrugged. "Arthur suggested it. He didn't want everything to be gone before you guy's got here. Besides, we all decided it didn't feel right not to eat together, ya know?"

"Arthur did?" Alfred asked, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. The Dane nodded.

"Yea I know right? I was pretty surprised, but it seems like he's ain't so bad huh? Now let's go! My stomach's gonna eat itself!" Soren whined, pushing Alfred forward.

"Bet I'm hungrier then you!"

"Liar I'm so much more hungry!"

"Hah! I'm the most hungry, so I get to eat first!" Gilbert cut in.

Elizaveta let out an amused chuckle. "You two are fighting over who's stomach hurts more? Really guys?"

"It's a boy thing. You wouldn't get it." Soren assured her, shooting the girl his most cunning smile. "Come on Al let's go!"

As his friend pushed him through the crowds of staring students, Alfred couldn't help but laugh, despite himself. Ah, he thought. This was one of those good moments.

O ~ O ~ O

"Good morning students," The loudspeaker boomed, echoing through the room where Arthur Kirkland sat at present. "I am here to inform you that exactly one week from now, we will be holding the second challenge of this school year."

The room burst in to a chorus of animated cheers and a loud round of applause.

"New teams will be referred to a student leader to gain instruction on how these competitions work. The first clue to what this challenge will be shall be posted beside the house point tallies. And as usual, the team with the laurea crown will get an advantage in the upcoming event. That is all."

Not a moment of silence was spared. As soon as the voice clicked off, the students began chattering excitedly amongst themselves. Arthur almost wished that Mr. Lewis would call them to be quiet, but that would be to much to ask from their laid back homeroom teacher.

"Our first challenge huh?" Alfred said suddenly, cutting into his thoughts. "Wonder what it'll be like?"

"The hell should I know?" He muttered, crossing his arms and slumping in his seat. Laura laughed from the seat beside him.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you're not excited?" She smiled, prodding him gently in the side. "It'll be fun! Don't you think Alfred?"

"Yea, I can't wait!" The American replied enthusiastically. Arthur could just imagine that stupid smile plastered on his face as he said it.

"That's the spirit." She laughed. "Oh, but I guess I should tell you how they work huh?"

"Shouldn't we wait until the other groups are all together?" Arthur asked, keeping his eyes glued on his desk. She shook her head and placed her finger to her lips.

"I'll tell you guy's first, so you have a head up on them. No telling though, I'll get in trouble!"

"Wouldn't dream of it." Alfred promised. "Soooo..."

"Well, they work sort of like they sound." She explained. "It's a competition. But I'll warn you now, they get way harder as the year goes on, and they never repeat or anything. I've been here four years and I've never seen one quite like the others. Also, the team who wins gets house points, a lot of them, and is granted automatic possession on the laurea crown."

"What's that?"

"The laurea crown is an award that is granted to the teams that, at the end of the year, have been given passage to the international academy. As the term goes on, it get's bounced around from team to team. Although it ultimately doesn't decide who win's, it's nice incentive, no? Plus, the team that has it get's an advantage in the next challenge."

"So the team that one the last challenge should have it, right?" Alfred inquired. Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur saw Laura shrug.

"See, that's just the thing. Although the laurea crown is given to the winner, it doesn't necessarily stay with them. Other teams are allowed to steal it for themselves. So what ever team has possession of it by the competition gets the help, even if they didn't win before."

"Whoa..." Alfred breathed.

"Yea. I'm pretty sure the Angola house has it right now."

"Are you guy's going to try to take it?"

Laura laughed and shook her head. "No, we're not really big on the whole stealing the crown thing. Never have been. But I can pretty much guarantee you the Script house will go for it."

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows. "But..." He turned slowly in his chair, avoiding eye contact with Alfred. "They're all new student's, aren't they? So how would they know about the stealing thing? And just because the group last year did..."

Laura sighed and shook her head. "It's odd, you know. I've been trying to figure it out for years, and yet I still can't get my head wrapped around that team. The thing is, they never change. I mean, I know that each house is assembled by one particular trait, but they, they're just ridiculous. I've NEVER met a Script team that fights fair. Not one."

"What do you mean?" Arthur murmured.

"They're filthy cheaters, that's what I mean." She ground out angrily. Arthur quelled his immediate surprise. It wasn't like the girl to get so upset and worked up. "My freshman year we had a swimming competition. One of the juniors in our house then, Marie Carella, who had just been admitted to the academy like me, was the fastest swimmer in the school. We were so confident... I mean there was no way we could lose..."

"But?" Alfred pressed. Laura's expression darkened.

"The day of the meet, she got sick all of a sudden, really sick. It was so bad, she couldn't compete, and we ended up in 7th place. The script house took first. When we finally got her to the nurse, she confirmed it as food poisoning."

"Food... poisoning? But what does that have to do with-"

"The Script house?" Laura nodded. "Turns out the day before, a boy on the team who Marie dearly admired gave her some sort of pastry that he made, as a good luck for the race. She said she had eaten it just before she went to bed, and it was the last thing she'd had before she got sick."

"They put something weird in it." Arthur breathed. "But that's so dangerous! What if she had been allergic to it? What if she had died?"

"Of course we thought of that." Laura muttered. "We were furious! It was so obvious they'd done it purposefully too, what with their smug grins and feigned worry for her. We tried, we tried so hard to get the teachers to believe they'd sabotaged us, but they wouldn't have any of it. They got off scot free, and Marie's sickness was dismissed as having ingested some raw meat or something."

"That's horrible!" Alfred exclaimed loudly. A few heads turned in their direction, but the other students quickly went back to their chatting.

"Yea..." She shook her head. "They've fooled every house at this point. Not a single year I've been here has the Script house been trustworthy. We got tricked more then once, and so have others. Not to mention they've thrown the competitions, and have unfairly taken back the laurea crown on numerous occasions..."

"Do you think that maybe this year they'll be better?" Alfred asked hopefully. Laura shrugged unknowingly.

"I've hoped for that every year. But they only seem to get worse. It's so confusing. Maybe that's just the nature of all they students they've ever picked for that house, but it feels like something else is going on. I just can't put my finger on it."

"So they're trouble." Alfred mused, drumming his fingers on the desk. "We'll watch out for them then." Laura nodded.

"Please do. I hope they don't give you as much grief as they've given us."

O ~ O ~ O

Arthur rolled over in his bed, watching the fan spin lazily about, barely disrupting the stuffy air in the room. Rain pattered against the windows, the only sound besides his own breathing that echoed about the space. His sleeping patterns were becoming ever more irregular, and felt as if they were getting all the worse as of late. He glanced over to Alfred's bed. The boy still had yet to come down from his study session with Kiku, and it was already past midnight. Not that he minded the emptiness. Being around Alfred had been a bit of a chore lately, and he was glad for the alone time. Even so...

Propping himself up in bed, he leaned over the side and rummaged through his school bag.

"Paper... paper... let me see..." He muttered, searching blindly for something to write on. "Ah!" Gently, he pulled out a small black spiral notebook. His English journal. He could always tear the page out...

Slipping his hand back into the bag, he managed to grab and pencil between his forefingers, and clumsily, lifted it out and set it on the notebook.

"Right then..."

He thumbed his way slowly through the pages, glancing at his writing as he went until he found a blank page. It felt like it had been ages since he'd done this. He pressed the tip of the pencil tentatively against the paper, and began to write.

_Dear Scott, Patrick, Bryn, and Peter,_

_I know it's been a time since I've written you. I've been rather busy since I arrived at this academy. You remember, the one I told you about in my last letter? I've been here near a month now, and I have to be honest, it's not at all like I was expecting it. The people are... interesting. Especially those in my house. Did you know, my brother's, I'm the only true Briton here? It was rather disconcerting in the beginning, but I think perhaps it doesn't bother me as much any more. What DOES bother me is the American boy in our group. You wouldn't believe him. He's so rude, and loud and obnoxious. I think you would get along well with him Scott._

_He's been a thorn in my side for every second of my time here, and I'm honestly running out of way's to put up with him. We fought a lot at first. Hit each other, lots of yelling matches and the sort. He was just so irritating; I couldn't help it, really. But we've been ignoring each other lately. I think I should be happy, but for some reason I just feel odd about it all. I've enjoyed the quiet, but it seems to drag on sometimes. Don't misunderstand, we're not friends. We're just..._

Arthur trailed off, staring at the paper. What were they, exactly? Not friends of course. Enemies? That didn't feel quite right either.

_Well, whatever we are, the silence is starting to get to me. I wonder how long we'll stay like this... Not that I care, it's just something I've thought about. Our first competition is approaching, and I don't know whether to be excited or nervous. Bryn, you've always been the most competitive. I bet you'd be bouncing of the walls. Francis is his normal self. And I've made friends with a boy in our house named Kiku, so I suppose it isn't all bad. I wish you all the best. Tell mother and father that I love them, and miss them._

_Love,_

_Arthur_

He set down his pencil and looked over the letter. Too much of it was spent talking about Alfred... but whatever. Carefully, he tore the page out of his notebook and creased it gently, folding it in half. Stepping out of bed, he wondered over to his suitcase and slipped the paper inside the top pocket, hand brushing against another crisply folded sheet before withdrawing and re-zipping the bag. It felt good to write to his brother's again after such a long time. Not that they ever received them, but it was something for him to do.

He flinched at the sound of the door creaking open. Seemed like Alfred had finally decided to come down.

"Yea." He heard him whisper, amusement in his tone. "Of course Kiku, sure I can."

Arthur frowned, staring at the boy's back, half way through the entryway. Kiku had wandered down as well? Alfred laughed at something inaudible to Arthur.

"OK, sure. And don't worry about the math help. I'm always happy to lend a hand. Night."

Slowly, the American inched backwards into the room, pulling the door closed with him. Arthur fought back the sense of panic rising in his chest. It would have been better if he had just gone to sleep, so as not to have to sit through another one of these awkward silences. Alfred turned around quietly, as if he was trying not to wake him, but froze dead on the spot at the sight of the Briton standing there very much awake. Arthur blinked at him. Alfred looked away, hand still firmly grasping the handle. Arthur frowned.

"Wha..." He stopped himself, unsure of how to continue. Why was he even making an effort for this idiotic boy? "What were you and Kiku studying?" He finished, swallowing hard. It was the first time one of them had specifically addressed the other in nearly two weeks, and it was, admittedly, harder then Arthur had expected it to be.

Alfred shrugged, relinquishing his iron grip on the doorknob and shuffling awkwardly over to his bureau.

"Oh you know..." He muttered, digging through his drawers. "This and that. Mostly math."

"Ah..." Arthur trailed off, glancing at the floor. "You're really good at that, huh?" Alfred's head snapped up to look at him, startled amusement flickering in and out of his azure orbs.

"Did- did you just compliment me Kirkland?" He raised an eyebrow, and even in the dim light, Arthur could have sworn he saw a ghost of a smirk pass across the little pricks face.

"Who said anything about that?" He growled defensively, crossing his arms. "I'm just acknowledging that you're good. That doesn't mean I'm giving you a compliment."

"Doesn't it?" Alfred muttered, almost to himself, as he turned back to rooting through his clothes.

Arthur snorted and fell onto his bed. Maybe he did like it better when they weren't speaking. Not to late to turn back now.

"Damn it where's that t-shirt?" Alfred grumbled, pulling open another drawer. "All of my stuff is dirty, I haven't had a chance to put it in the wash this week..." Alfred bit his lip and let out a tired sigh. "Well whatever, I'll live."

Arthur turned away as the honey blonde began to tug off his pants. He still was uncomfortable with the idea of the other boy being near naked around him, and he did his best to keep clothed at all times (because he wasn't to keen on being shirtless in front of him either). On cold nights like this, he always wore a long sleeved top and pants, not boxers, and Alfred usually taunted him to no end about 'acting like an old man' or whatever the hell he would do on about. Stupid prat.

Alfred yawned loudly and Arthur glanced back at him. He stiffened.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" He hissed, pulling the covers over his head. "Damn it Jones, put a shirt on for god's sake. You're not going to sleep in just your boxers are you?"

He heard the American settle down on his own bed. "Sure, I don't see a problem with it."

"It's completely indecent! Besides the fact that you'll freeze to death in this weather!"

"I've got a high body temperature, I'll be fine." A long pause. " And- and since when were you talking to me again?"

"Since never!" Arthur muttered quickly, letting the sheets down a hair to glare at the other boy. "You're just being annoying is all, so I felt the need to point it out."

"Good, cause I don't want to talk to you either."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Arthur hugged his blankets around him in a desperate attempt to hold in heat, ignoring the sounds of the other boy shifting around in his bed. It was disconcerting. Just ignore him, he thought to himself. Just ignore him and go to sleep. And so he lay there. He tossed and he turned, he pulled the covers up and down, he even tried humming in his head. Nothing. The same restlessness that he had been met with all night. He let out a tired groan. It really wasn't any good...

"Hey..."

Arthur glanced over at Alfred's bed, startled at the sound of the boy's voice. He wasn't asleep yet?

"Yea..." He replied softly.

"You're still awake?" Alfred murmured.

"Obviously..."

"Oh... right..."

Arthur shifted uncomfortably under his sheets. If he wanted something, he should just spit it out.

"You... can't sleep either?" Alfred asked lamely.

"No."

"Oh..."

Arthur frowned and pushed himself up in bed. "Were you getting at something? Or are you just trying to be obnoxious?"

"No!" Alfred snapped, sitting up quickly. "I just... can't sleep."

"That makes two of us." Arthur snorted. "What do you want me to do about it you git?"

"I don't know I just wanted to know if you were still awake." Alfred grumbled. "And..." His shadow shifted awkwardly atop his bed. "I was wondering if you knew any good way's to get to sleep..."

"You're asking me for advice?" He asked skeptically.

"Not really." Alfred muttered, his black form pulling his legs to his chest. "But if you had any..."

Arthur shrugged. "When I was little, my mum used to count sheep with me until I fell asleep. It doesn't work when you do it alone though."

Alfred stopped shifting around on his bed, stiffening abruptly. He let out a quiet cough, but to Arthur's surprise, continued the conversation. "Oh yea! My mom always told me to do that, but it never worked for me." The American laughed. He sounded as nervous as Arthur felt. Although he'd never show it, his insides were a tangled mess. But how was he supposed to feel, talking to him after so long?

"Like I said, you have to have someone count with you." He explained.

"Aha... right..."

Arthur stared at his hands in the darkness. He would have rather rolled around in his bed all night then suffer this kind of torture. Seriously, what was that idiot-

"Hey."

He grit his teeth and slid his eye's to look at the other boy. "What?"

"How about we count together?"

His heart leapt up into his throat. What? What the bloody hell was he saying? And anyway, why the hell was he getting so worked up about it damn it? He wished he could slow his heart down. Shit it hurt.

"W-wha-"

"Please." Alfred cut him off. "Please, Arthur. I haven't slept well in weeks. I need to sleep tonight. I-I know you haven't either..." He trailed off quietly. "For both of our sakes, why don't we at least give it a shot?"

Arthur let out a shaky sigh. He was right. It couldn't hurt. Even so...

"Fine." He muttered. "But put a shirt on, would you?" Alfred laughed.

"Whatever you say." He watched the cerulean eyed blonde slip out of bed and continue rooting through the drawers. Almost immediately, he pulled out a piece of material. "Don't know what it is, but it's definitely a shirt." Alfred pulled the fabric over his head and let it fall gently down his arms. "Better?"

"Yea." He admitted.

"Good."

Alfred fell onto his own bed, sprawling against the sheets. "So, want me to start?"

"Go ahead." Arthur replied, curling himself under his covers.

"One." He said softly.

"Two." Arthur followed.

"Three."

"Four."

"Five."

"Six."

"Seven."

"Eight."

Arthur let out a long yawn and closed his eyes. "Nine."

Alfred snickered. "Tired already huh? Ten."

"Shut up." He mumbled, trying to shake off the fog of exhaustion clouding his mind. No way was he falling asleep first. "Eleven."

"Make me. Twelve."

"Hah. I would if I wanted to get out of bed. Thirteen."

"Sure. Fourteen."

"I would. Fifteen."

"Mhm. Sixteen."

"Idiot. Seven-" He stopped suddenly, startled by the groaning and squeaking of the other boy's box spring, and the sound of footsteps padding against the wood floor, and suddenly something's brushed his side through his sheets and he's sitting up again. "Bloody hell!" He cursed, scrambling away from the side of the bed. There was Alfred, plopped down on the floor beside his bed, arms crossed atop his mattress, glasses gone, and this sort of self satisfied smirk painted on his face.

"So. You going to hit me or something? By the way, you didn't finish seventeen." Arthur just stared at him, to surprised to say anything but just that.

"Se-seventeen..."

"Eighteen." Alfred whispered, laying his head on the blankets. Arthur went ridged. How on earth did that twat expect him to sleep like THIS?

"Nineteen."

"You're not laying down." Alfred chuckled dryly. "Twenty."

"M-maybe I like to sleep sitting up." Arthur snapped. "Twenty-one."

"Hmm. Twenty-two."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Why are you doing this? You can't sleep if you're sitting on the floor. Twenty-three."

Alfred looked up at him, close enough now that Arthur could make out every blink and fidget. And every time his lips moved... Those lips that had been so close to his own. Those lips that he had touched. Arthur suppressed a shiver. Suddenly, that night in the library was the only thing on his mind.

"Because I'm a hero." He stuck out his tongue. "And I think if you're asleep, I'll be able to sleep as well. Beside's I'm already tired enough that I'd be ok with falling asleep on the floor. Twenty-four."

Arthur swallowed hard. "What makes you say that? Twenty-five."

Alfred shrugged. "Dunno. Twenty-six."

Arthur looked away. What a weird guy. "Twenty-seven."

"Twenty-eight. You know, sitting here and counting won't do either of us any good if you don't lie down."

"Why don't you lie down first?" Arthur insisted, still staring at the wall. "Twenty-nine."

"Because you're the one in a bed, not me. Thirty."

"Then get back in your bed would you! Thirty-one."

"Don't wanna. Thirty-two."

"I'm going to hit you. Thirty-three."

"Not if you can't use your hands. Thirty-four."

"What's that supposed to mEEAA-" He gasped as a large body tackled his own.

"Gotcha! Now you can't hit me."

"Alfred Jones!" He swore, trying to break free of the stronger blonde's grip around him. "You fucker let go!"

"No."

Arthur shuddered. The American's mouth was far to close to his ear for comfort. Not to mention that fact that they were pressed flush against each other. But Alfred hadn't been lying about the body heat thing. He was already boiling.

"Come on you wanker, I'll go to sleep, just get off!"

"No."

Arthur's stomach churned uncomfortably. "Geeze what's with you?" He griped. "I thought you wanted me to sleep, but now you're preventing me from doing just that!"

Silence.

"Let go of me!" He hissed, struggling out of Alfred's grip.

Still nothing. Only a soft, gentle breathe against the nape of his neck, cooling his heated skin.

"Don't tell me you fell asleep already." He exclaimed under his breath, sucking in oxygen as the boy squeezed his midsection.

"You're cold." Alfred slurred into his shirt. "Dun move I'm gonna sleep..." He trailed off, mumbling incoherently as he clutched Arthur tighter.

"Hey hey hey don't drift off now damn it!" Arthur swore, wriggling beneath him. Alfred let out a weak snore in reply.

Shit!

He turned his head side ways against the pillow, biting his lip in annoyance. How the hell was he supposed to sleep like this? The rise and fall of the taller boy's chest against his back was agitating. His hands, that were holding on to him as if he was some sort of teddy bear, were constricting. His hair was tickling his neck. His mouth was half way between his skin and the collar of his top. And to top it all off, he could hear the idiot's heart thumping rapidly.

In perfect sync with his own.

O ~ O ~ O

"Man this place is epic!" Soren cried, spinning in circles to get a better look at his surroundings.

"That's right, I'd forgotten you didn't go last time." Alfred remembered, grinning at his friend. "Isn't it? It's a lot nicer now that the sun's sort of out." He mused. "And everyone else came along this time too."

"Yea but it's packed, as usual the weekend before a competition," Laura sighed as she bumped into him. "Oh sorry Alfred, I got pushed..."

"No problem." He assured her, shifting around the crowds of students. Where were they? Back in the local town. It was Sunday, and the sun was peeking shyly through the clouds, as if it was still trying to decide whether it wanted to come out. Still, it was far better then the storm they'd had a couple nights before, and perfect weather for the hoards of students that were swarming the streets in preparation for the start of the second challenge.

"So Laura, what exactly is it that we need here?" Ludwig inquired, popping up behind them.

"Hmmm." She paused. "Well since we don't know what the challenge is, who knows? It's best to stock up on everything though. Food, basic supplies, first aid..."

"Can't we get all this stuff after we know what's going on?" Francis asked, bewildered. "That sounds much easier."

"Well it would be, except the stores in this town close down during competition weeks." She explained. "If you came back here tomorrow, there wouldn't be a single door open. It's so that students who have less work to do won't take advantage of that and buy more specific supplies for the challenge. This way, everything's fair game. My guess is that it'll be a physical challenge this round."

"So we need to stock up and stuff. By the way, Laura, where's your group?" Alfred inquired. She waved her hand dismissively.

"They're off getting stuff, don't worry, I'm going to meet up with them in a little bit. Hey, we haven't lost anyone, have we?"

Alfred glanced behind him and narrowed his eyes, gaze sweeping over their group. "We're short one angry Briton." He muttered.

"Arthur's gone?" She exclaimed. "Where do you think he could have gone?"

"I think I saw him turn a little way's back." Soren offered. "Matty pointed him out, right Matt?" The tiny blonde nodded, fumbling with a bag of food that they'd bought.

"That's right. I thought he was just looking at something in a store window, but I guess he slipped off. Augh!" The paper bag slipped from his hand and Alfred tensed, making a move to grab the heavy sack before it hit the ground. Francis beat him to it.

"Are you alright, mon cher?" He asked, steadying Matthew as he hoisted the bag away from the ground where he had caught it. Matthew nodded nervously.

"Ah thanks I'm fine really. Hey Alfred, wasn't there somewhere in this place you wanted to show us?" He turned to his friend, surprising the American. What was with the sudden subject change? Not that he minded. His friend was finally starting to seem like his old self again. In fact, the whole house seemed better as of late. Maybe it happened when he and Arthur started talking to each other again...

Either way, it was nice to have his normal, fun loving buddy back. Matthew had been starting to worry him almost as much as Soren (who seemed to have given up on the Lukas thing, and was now thoroughly enjoying himself again).

"Oh yea! That place that Arthur and I wandered into last time!" He exclaimed happily. "I don't think we ever got the name, but it was really great, and I would recognize it for sure. Plus there's someone I want you guy's to meet!"

"Do you think Arthur could have wandered off there?" Ludwig said. "After all, you said that was the only place you went last time you were here. I can't imagine he'd go any place else."

"Why don't we check it out?" Laura suggested, nudging her way past a boy with a green hat. "Alfred, we'll go look for him and-"

"Ve~ Alfred said that it had really good hot chocolate right?" Feliciano called, appearing beside them. "I wanna go too! You promised the next time that I could go!"

"Sure why not." Alfred shrugged. "Why don't we all go?"

"Hurray!" Feliciano cheered. "Did you hear that brother? We're going to get hot chocolate!"

"Yea yea whatever just stop screaming in my ear." Romano grumbled.

"Hey Look at that! Are those toy guns?" Gilbert yelled, drawing a few weird looks from passerby's. Alfred glanced in the direction he was pointing. It looked like... a toyshop. And sitting in the window was one of those old toy pistols.

"I used to have one of those!" Alfred burst out laughing. "I loved it!"

"So did I!" Gilbert grinned, eyes shining. "But I lost it when we moved to England."

"Ve~ What's going on? Lemme see I wanna see!" Feliciano whined, glancing around the students to see what they were looking at. "I wanna go in an see it!"

"But Feliciano, you never played with toy gun's." Romano snapped.

"That's cause I never got to try!"

Romano opened his mouth to yell again, but stopped short, eye's growing wide and nose twitching. "Hey, do you smell that?"

Alfred blinked and sniffed the air. "Nope, don't smell anything."

"Ve~ I do. It smells like cannoli's."

"Damn right it does." Romano turned sharply, starting to push his way through the crowd.

"Roma where are you going?" Feliciano called. "What about the toy store? What about the hot chocolate?"

"Forget the gun's Feli. Take the cannoli's." And in an instant, he'd disappeared.

"Oh no he wandered off!" Feliciano cried, eye's beading with tears. "I have to go chase after him ok? I'll be right back. Hey Roma! Fratello wait up!"

"H-hey Feliciano!" Ludwig exclaimed, reaching to grab the brunette's wrist. Barely missed. "Hey where are you going you can't just leave!" He stammered. "Ah..." He glanced back at Alfred. "I'm going to go after them. If you and Laura leave to find Arthur, tell Kiku that he's in charge." And Ludwig too disappeared into the mass.

Kiku? Alfred snorted inwardly. No one would even be able to hear the Japanese boy. Still, he was his friend so he would give him the benefit of the doubt and leave matters in his hands.

"Matty, I think it's best if Laura and I just go." Alfred sighed, glancing over at Gilbert (who had been joined by Soren and was still transfixed with the toy's). "Can you relay that to Kiku? I think he's in the back, talking to Yao."

Matthew nodded. "Sure, no problem." He assured him. "And... I'll keep an eye on Gilbert too." He chuckled. "So he doesn't kill himself."

"I'm sure he's perfectly capable of taking care of himself without you watching him." Francis muttered. Matthew shrugged and gave him a weak smile.

"No harm in trying anyway. Now," He pushed Alfred lightly. "Get going. We'll meet you back by the train OK?" Alfred nodded.

"No problem. You ready Laura?"

The blonde girl crinkled her eyes and smiled. "Ready as I'll ever be."

And together, they wandered off into the crowd, in search of Alfred's emerald-eyed teammate.

O ~ O ~ O

Gilbert's Last Word

I seriously think my play was the best. No, I KNOW it was the best. Why? Cause I'm awesome. But noooo Alfred and Arthur got the best grade in the class. I mean, we're pals and all but what the hell mine was so much better then their sappy gay love story (that was kind of weird to watch, by the way. I don't know what Elizaveta's deal was, cause she seemed to love it… must be a girl thing).

What was my play about? The coolest thing ever, beside's me: Prussia. Now, what is Prussia you might ask? Prussia was an awesome country that used to rule over all of Europe! Well, most of Europe anyway. It was freaking badass, I'm telling you. Anyway, since I know a lot about it's history, I decided to do my skit on it. Pretty cool right? It kind of went well… something like this:

Enter, me, wearing a Prussian blue 18th century coat (Kiku made it for me. Damn that kid can sew), map of Europe in hand and a stereo and iPod that I "borrowed" from Antonio. I'll give them back. Eventually. The room was noisy, the sound of the other student's chatting echoing around the hall. It was annoying. Didn't they know I was about to start?

"HEY!" I yelled. "All of you shut the fuck up, I've got to perform this thing!" The voices died down and I let out a satisfied sigh. Good, now I had their attention. "Alright listen up, my skit is about Prussia, because Prussia is awesome, Verstehst? Good!"

And so I began. I flicked on the stereo, and a tune (recognized by myself as the Prussian anthem) drifts softly out of the speakers. Don't want them to not be able to hear me.

"Here," I pointed to the map, "Is me. I'm the awesome Königreich Pruβen! I'm kind of in little bits... but that's not the main point! For I am here to tell you a tale of my life! But first- I should warn you; I don't really like this Austria guy. And plus, this guy's got a TOTALLY un-awesome leader! So, I have decided to do something about it." I slipped off the stage, grabbing a piece of material on a pole that looked suspiciously like the Austrian flag. Ok, so maybe I had been digging through Roderich's drawers, and accidently GRABBED his drawers… no big deal right? As long as the stuck up prick didn't find out… Besides, what kind of weirdo had underwear with a flag pattern on it? I tossed a brown wig over my hair, and paraded back onto the stage, the makeshift flag, and a piece of paper in hand. The auditorium burst into a fit of giggling at the sight of the boxers on a pole. I allowed myself to let out a small snicker.

"I'm Austria, and I just got a letter from that Prussia guy. He say's he wants me to give up my land… because I have a woman as my leader. Really now. Well, I'm not going to do it. Not a chance in the world! Mark my words, he will never have Silesia. Even though he's already invaded, we will fight him off at all costs! We will…"

I trailed off, holding my hand over my ear, as if listening to some sort of radio. "What? What do you mean we're going to give up? No I don't care how strong he is, we're going to fight. No he cannot have my vital regions tell him to give them back right now! Well..." I wandered off the stage, muttering to myself and trying to hold back a laugh. I loved this sort of stuff, really. Pulling the brunette wig off of my silvery hair, and leaving the "flag", I marched back onto the stage, Prussian flag proudly in hand.

"So… that wimp has decided to fight after all! To think my great country's first battle would be with Austria…. Those pathetic weapons and sad excuse for an army! Austria, I thought you were better than that!" I raised my head, as if looking off into the distance. "I will win this battle. Of that, there is no doubt." I dashed off the stage and pulled one of the levers. So, I hadn't actually asked if I could use any of the stage features. But I figured as long as I didn't break anything, it was all good, right?

A white dummy fell from the ceiling, hanging from a rope that I'd tied it to. The room burst out laughing. Ok, so maybe I had stolen more then one pair of Roderich's boxers…

I ran out on stage and steadied myself into a fighting position. The theatre class cheered and I grinned to myself. "I will fight you, and win Austria!" I yelled. And I began to move.

God, how long had it been since I'd sparred? Even with just a doll? It must have been a long time, because my blood was pumping more furiously then I ever remembered it had when I fought. Careful. Not too much. Don't hit it too hard, you might pull something down. I forced these kinds of thoughts through my head as I fought with my immobile opponent. I pulled the wooden sword out from my belt and raised it high, struggling to keep my voice steady.

"This battle is for Prussia! Victory is mine!" I called to the ceiling. With a swish of my sword, I cut the doll, and out poured a pile of candy. I laughed loudly and raised my fist.

"The riches of this war belong to me now! Praise me, hail me, on your knees!" And with a flourish, I bowed lowly, letting the sword clatter to the floor. The room was silent. I stood and rubbed the back of my head awkwardly. "Ah, anyone want candy?"

My classmates laughed and let out a few whooping cheers. I raised my fist into the air and with a last wave, disappeared off the stage. I fell against the back wall, covering my eyes and breathing hard. I ached all over.

But it wasn't from pain.

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:** More information about the challenge is slipping in, and about the script house... I was planning on making this longer, but I left it to set up the next chapter. Oh, and Gilbert's bit it is because I love him dearly and he hasn't gotten enough time lately XD I'd like to thank my beta for that last part, because she helped me write it :D It was meant to me completely comedy, but I couldn't help throwing in my own pieces lol. It seems as if things are better between Alfred and Arthur again... well as good as they were before.

And yea, I'm out of things to say... except, THANK YOU! For your support and everything, it means the world ^^

See you!


	22. Confessions and Conundrum's

**A/N:** So I'm not going to go into a lengthy explanation as to why this is nearly three weeks late because it doesn't matter I feel horrible about it anyway *sobs* school, life and sickness caught up to me... anyway I've got it a little more under control now, but I'm probably going to be like this for a while yet. SO.

http : / / tealover95. tumblr .com /

This, is my tumblr (remove the spaces of course lol), where I will be posting updates about release times and how things are going so you people don't think that I dropped off the face of the earth. If you have a tumblr, please feel free to add me. If you don't, you can still check my page for information :) I figured this could be at least some way for me to keep in touch with you guys when things get hectic like they were...

So yea, pretty crazy weeks... And thanks to APUSH I'm now ITCHING to write a story about the history of america and england's love from start to finish :3 and about the revolutionary war, I reaaaallly want to write a oneshot about that... *restrains herself from working on anything else* so yea, I really am sorry I let you guys down these past weeks. School and life have been nutty, plus I now have a responsibility to a hetalia editing group I was accepted into on youtube so I'm busy working on things for that...

Anyway! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I really really do, because it took a while for me to piece together lol.

ALSO! Great thanks to my new beta who put up with me telling her it was going to be done every other day and then never being finished ahaha :D Thank you so much! And to everyone else who asked, thank you very much for offering, I'm really happy to have so much support from you guys! :3

Onward!

O ~ O ~ O

"Arthur!" Alfred called over the crowd, flinching as he was shouldered aside by a particularly broad boy. He and Laura had been pushing through the streets for ten minutes, and still had yet to catch sight of either the pub or the fuzzy eyebrowed Briton. Alfred was becoming impatient.

"Do you see him?" he asked Laura, glancing over the people. The golden haired blonde shook her head, locks swaying around her shoulders as she did.

"I can't see anything in this mess. You don't see that place you were last time, do you?"

"No." Alfred sighed dejectedly. "Good grief, of all the times to go missing... what else could go wrong?"

"Laura!" A voice exclaimed urgently from within the noise. "Laura!"

The senior jumped in surprise, spinning around curiously. "Mei?" She called, cupping her hand around her mouth, "Where are you?"

"Here."

Alfred let out a startled yelp as the chocolate hued brunette slipped out from behind him.

"I've been looking for you everywhere! Where have you been?" She frowned, setting her hands on her hips. Laura blinked her wide green eyes and cocked her head.

"I told you I was wandering around with the Imperaturi house. Besides, why aren't you with your team?"

"Team shmeam did you hear the news?" Mei insisted, shaking her friend's shoulders.

"What news?" Alfred cut in, feeling oddly excluded from the conversation. Mei's eyes curved into a slant and she glanced at him.

"If it had something to do with you i would tell ya!" she snorted. Alfred rolled his eyes. He didn't dislike Laura's friend, but she didn't seem all that particular to him. He hadn't the slightest notion what he'd done to make her hate him so much, but she was like this nearly every time they ran into each other. That being said, she wasn't all that fond of Arthur either, which satisfied some weird sense of gratification in Alfred's gut.

"So what is the news?" Laura asked loudly, drawing the focus back to the matter at hand.

"Oh yeah! Its about Lars!" Mei nodded. Laura's eyes widened slightly in interest.

"W-what about him?"

"Well apparently Jackson, you know, that guy he's friends with, was pestering him in class about whether he liked anyone and he actually admitted to it! Stoic forever unattatched Lars LIKES someone! Can you believe it? Of course its all over the school now. A lot of the girls want to know who it is, I mean he has always had hoard's of them gunning for him. Guess he finally fell for one of them, huh? I heard from someone that it was Katie from the Brickhaven house. I can't believe you hadn't heard! Aren't you guys really good friends? I would think he would have told you about it," she chattered, waving her hands in a flurry of motion as she spoke. Laura said nothing, face blank, and simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Great for him. I hope he manages to tell her. Anyway Mei, we were actually kind of busy. Sorry to abandon you like this, but we have to go." With a polite smile at her friend and a quick wave, she grabbed Alfred's hand in her own and tugged him through the crowds away from the baffled girl.

"A-ah wait hey Laura slow down I keep tripping over people!" Alfred stammered, winching at the annoyed 'hey' that a girl gave him as he stepped on her foot. "What's the hurry?" She shook her head, keeping her eyes to the cobblestone streets as they wandered through the town. Alfred frowned, gently trying to worm his way out of her grip around his fingers. He stared down at their hands. Laura's hand was small, soft and warm. Comforting almost. It reminded him that it had been quite some time since he'd held hands with anyone. He grimaced. It was nice... but... somehow, not quite right.

"Alfred? You ok? You're spaced out." Alfred blinked and looked down at Laura who had stopped running and was now staring expectantly up at him. They were standing in a fairly empty part of the village, although Alfred could still hear the eager conversation of students from the street over, and the small groups the wandered last them.

"Oh yeah fine." He assured her sheepishly. "Are you ok? You really took off there." She waved him off, other hand still attached firmly to his own.

"Never been better. I just thought we really need to get back to looking for Arthur. You were worried about him right?"

Alfred shot her a horrified look. "As if. He's just causing problems, that's all," he protested, "Anyway why did you stop?" She flicked her head sideways and Alfred glanced up.

"Is that your pub?"

Alfred looked over the old log building, trying desperately to conjure a picture into his mind. It had been rainy and hard to see, so he really hadn't gotten a good look at the place, and they had never figured out the name. Even so, it did feel familiar somehow.

"Yeah I think it is," he nodded. "How did you know?"

"Feli mentioned hot chocolate, and this place has got the best around." She smiled proudly.

"That's what Fane said too," Alfred laughed fondly, suddenly remembering the mysterious boy he and Arthur had met all those weeks ago. They hadn't had the chance to visit the town since then, and neither of them had been able to catch sight of him in school, as far as Alfred knew. It would make sense that Arthur would try to find him to say hello after all this time. Laura gave him a funny look, scrunching her eyebrows as if thinking about something. He smiled.

"Thank you so much Laura!" He exclaimed gratefully, pulling her in for a quick, friendly hug. She laughed, patting him in the back and giving him a quick squeeze before they both pulled away.

"No trouble at all. After all I want to know where he is you ever need anything from your big sis again, don't hesitate to ask! I'm always happy to help."

Alfred nodded. "Got it, I will, heroes oath." She punched him gently in the gut.

"As long as your promising things, don't fight with Arthur when you find him." She chided.

"You're not coming in?"

She shook her head. "No I'm going to see if I can't find one of our houses. My team is probably wondering where I am by now..."

"You think, Miss wanders off without telling us?" An agitated voice growled from beside them. Laura stiffened vislibly, stumbling away from Alfred and shooting the speaker a veiled look.

"What are you doing here?" She muttered, turning away from the shaggy haired blonde as he loosened the scarf around his neck.

"Looking for you obviously. Where have you been Laura?"

"Out," she replied tight lipped. "Besides, I told Toris I was going to wander off for a while, its not like nobody knew."

"Yeah well Toris didn't say anything," Lars snapped, gritting his teeth. "And what's with the attitude?" Alfred stared awkwardly at the ground. What was the best thing to do in this type of situation anyway?

"None of your business," Laura replied stiffly. "I don't know why your worried about me anyway. Don't you have more important girls to take care of?"

The boy's face contorted into a mess of confusion. "Huh? What the hell are you talking about? You're not making any sense."

"Never mind, it doesn't matter," She muttered. Laura turned sharply back towards Alfred, throwing him a weak smile. "I'll be off then. Good luck finding him."

With a quick wave of her hand she started off in the other direction.

Lars was clearly having none of it.

"Hold up a fucking second, you're acusing me off wasting my time messing around with some girl, and yet YOU have the right to go on a date with some freshman?"

"We weren't on a date, dear gosh I was helping him, Lars."

"So that's why you hugged him. Because you were helping him. Oh sure, makes perfect sense."

"Shut up!" her voice echoed down the street. Alfred stared worriedly after them as they continued down the cobblestone path, arguing all the way. Was it really ok to leave them like that?

"So what if i was hugging Alfred? What's it to you huh? It's none of your business what I do or who I hang out with in my free time."

"Who says?"

"Me! Because I'm the superior here, and I give the orders, or did you forget that?"

"I thought we promised to treat each other equally."

"Yeah well I'm revoking that promise, so buzz off, and leave me alone. I can find the group by myself. Go go hang out with Katie or whoever the hell else you want!" Lars froze.

"Now wait just a secon-" He reached for her. She was faster.

The resounding smack of her palm making contact with his cheek echoed down the quiet street. A group of girls who had been wandering by and caught sight of the scene let out quiet gasps. She pulled her hand away, staring at the ground . Then, without another look at the tall green eyed boy, she turned down the busy street from which they'd come and dissapeared from sight, leaving Lars alone, fingers ghosting across his red skin. Alfred slipped quietly into the pub. He was a hero, but there were some things that even hero's didn't get involved with.

O ~ O ~ O

Alfred smiled fondly as the warm, familar scent of hot chocolate filled his nose. He relished in the sweet smell, as he knew he would only be in there for a second to grab Arthur, before having to face the damp smell of the rain again outside.

The pub was surpisingly well filled, despite the absence of students along that street. A handfull of large groups were despersed around tables in the open room, ad well as the ocassional two seater with a lovey dovey looking couple, or a pair of friends occupying its chairs. Alfred scanned the room for Arthur. Sure enough, there he was in the same booth as the last time, holding a blue mug of hot chocolate in his hand and laughing at some apparently hilarious joke. He must have found Fane.

Should I just go up to the table? He wondered absentmidedly. Arthur would be annoyed if he inturrupted their conversation... but then again when had he ever cared what Arthur thought?

"Hey." He called, waving his hand in the air as he meandered toward the table. Arthur's lips ceased their movement and he looked up, fixing his emerald eyes on Alfred. He frowned and looked back at Fane, ignoring him. Alfred wrinkled his nose, slightly digruntled. Geeze, what was with that guy?

"Hey." He grumbled, walking up to them and setting his hand on the wooden surface, "What the hell was that for?"

"Alfred!" Fane exclaimed in the booth beside him. Alfred smiled and gave him a nod.

"Hey Fane, it's been a while." He laughed light heartedly, ignoring the hole Arthur was boring in his skull. "I haven't seen you in school. Are you here with your house?" Fane shrugged.

"Yeah, sorta. I'm not really much help with competitions so I came back here. This guy caught me just as I was walking in the door. Said he saw me wandering through town and wanted to chat." Fance grinned, glancing at Arthur.

"Yeah, well he slipped away from the group without telling us. I got sent to find the idiot." Alfred complained, crossing his arms.

"Sorry." Fane chuckled. " I didn't mean to steal him from ya. You want him back?"

"Not particularly." Alfred snorted, eyeing Arthur as the boy continued to glare at him. "But Matty'll get worried if I'm gone to long, and we should be helping out."

"Matthew?" Fane offered. Alfred cocked his head, surprised that the elder boy recognized his friend's name.

"Yeah. How do you know about him?"

"Oh, Arthur was telling me about your house and his name came up." Fane explained, motioning toward the tight lipped blonde. "Actually, we were just talking about you."

"Wonderful," Alfred muttered, "Well don't believe anything he says, it's all lies I promise."

"Really?" Fane asked, an amused glint lighting up his crimson eyes as he rested his chin on his palm. "So you didn't punch each other the first day you met? And you didn't help him when you guys got lost in the forest, and he didn't save your ass from Mr. Palmer in bio? Oh, and you guys didn't get stuck writing a play together in theatre, or locked in the library after I met you? Not to mention the day you two had to stay in the house and recover together, or that you're in homeroom together, and during the storm a couple nights ago-"

"Alright, knock it off!" Arthur cut in, staring down into his mug. Alfred blinked at him, mortified.

"How does he... I mean... you told him all THAT?" Alfred hissed. He felt uncomfortable, having Fane know everything that had gone on between them. It wasn't stuff he really wanted other people knowing.

"Nah, I just got good ears," Fane smiled slyly, clearly pleased with himself, "Besides, things get around, ya know?"

"Not like that." Alfred argued. "Seriously why did you tell him all that stuff?" He bit out, rounding on Arthur.

"I didn't tell him that much," Arthur muttered, twisting the silver studs around in his ears. "It's like he said, he just heard some of it around school. He has to have a class with one of out team mates, after all. Besides, what does it matter what I say? It's my business too, and I can tell whomever I please about it."

"Like hell you can! Not if I'm involved." Alfred protested angrily.

"Dude calm down," Fane chuckled, "I won't tell anyone, cross my heart ok? Besides, it's good to get things off your chest sometimes. I know it helps me."

"Yeah... I guess." Alfred admitted begrudgingly.

He still didn't like it. It wasn't like he was mad at Fane for knowing. It wasn't his fault he'd found out. After all, Arthur was the one who told him. Well, that and word of mouth, apparently, although he was skeptical of that part. Still, somehow, he felt almost betrayed. Why wouldn't Arthur keep those things a secret?

"That's the spirit," Fane encouraged him, patting Alfred on the back. "Anyway, didn't you guys need to get back to your group? You should probably get going now, before its starts raining."

"The weather didn't predict rain for today," Alfred said, recalling the storm report he'd checked on his computer. "Just partly cloudly. And look, its sunny out now."

"Nah." Fane shook his head, crossing his arms behind his neck. "Trust me it's going to pour buckets, and you do not want to be out there when it does."

Alfred laughed. "You psychic or something?"

Fane grinned shrugging nonchalantly. "Hmm not really my area. I do know one though. Maybe I should introduce you to him some time."

"I thought psychics were supposed to be girls." Alfred chided. Fane looked like he was trying to fight off an amused look.

"Well he's not exactly the manliest of guys, I'll say that much about him. Anyway, get going. And good luck on the challenge."

"Yeah," Alfred nodded, glancing at Arthur as he slid quietly out of his seat. "You too! Hey we should see you there, right?" Fane nodded.

"Presumably, yup. I look forward to it. My house is going to wipe the floor with you guys, just fair warning." Alfred stuck out his tounge childishly.

"You wish. By the way, you never did tell us what house you're in. I've looked for you at lunch before but I can't see you cause we're at the front."

"Still not telling." Fane teased. "Anyway, I actually eat lunch with a friend of mine somewhere else. The mess hall is a little to loud for my liking."

"Yeah well stop by some time. We can introduce you to our group."

"Go." Fane urged, rolling his eyes as a grin tugged on the corners of his mouth. "I told you, you're going to get soaked."

"Right. Later!" Alfred saluted. Arthur gave Fane a polite nod, and uttering his own 'bye' following Alfred out of the pub.

Alfred stared at the sky uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact wit the Briton. It was true that since the night he'd fallen asleep in Arthur's bed they'd been back on speaking terms, but they really weren't any friendlier then they had been prior, and now, Alfred felt that familiar awkwardness beginning to seep back into his skin.

"I didn't tell him all that much, I swear." Arthur insisted quietly, startling Alfred. He frowned and crossed his arms.

"Not what it sounded like to me. But whatever, it's none of my business after all."

"You don't believe me," Arthur sighed. " Well, I don't really care if you do, but I am telling the truth. I don't know how he found out all of that, but I only told him about the forest and the first day."

"I told you, I don't care." Alfred muttered. "Geeze, it's fine already. So..." He looked over at the sandy blonde who was fidgiting nervously wit his earrings again. Honestly, Alfred had forgotten he even had them until recently. He only really noticed them when the boy was spinning them around in his ear, and he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. "What else did you guys talk about? He mentioned Matty, and the rest of the team."

Arthur shrugged. "This and that I guess. I told him about Francis, and his antics with Gilbert and Antonio. And how Elizaveta beats up on Gilbert."

"Oh yeah." Alfred snickered, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they. "They were going at each other in the hall this week. You know, I think something's up with the two of them. I mean, Gilbert's been acting weird around her lately. And she just seems to hate him even more. Plus, have you seen how she is with Roderich? Totally different."

Arthur stared at him. "Are you daft? Obviously she likes him. Seriously, you wouldn't know love if it hit you between the eyes."

"She likes Gilbert?"Alfred exclaimed. "No way, seriously?"

"No you moron, she likes Roderich. What in god's name would make you think she likes Gilbert?"

"Because you said so! And don't call me a moron you-you wanker!"

The briton stopped dead, turning his head away. Alfred felt an anxious feeling rise in his gut. Had he offended him or something? Not that he cared... but OK so it had been a little out of little out of line to use his own curse word against him, but Alfred had lived in England for years now. Surely he had SOME right to use British swear words, right?

"Err ok so that came out wrong, I uh-"

"Sh-shut up." Arthur inturrupted him, voice shaking. And his voice wasn't the only thing that was quivering. In fact, As Alfred looked him over, he realized the boys entire body was positively quaking, hands up at his face and folded over his mouth.

"Are you... laughing?" He gawked, stepping around him to get a better look at Arthur's expression.

"N-n-no." He choked out, letting a faint snicker escape his lips.

"You are!" Alfred cried, surprise and excitement bubbling in his stomach. "Oh my god, you're actually laughing! What, because I said wanker?"

"Pfft!" Arthur pressed his hands visibly tighter over his mouth, unable to stop the strangled sound that worked its way out from between the gaps of his fingers. A devious smile crept onto Alfred's face. There was no way he was letting this opportunity go to waste! Taking hold of Arthur's wrists, he yanked them off his mouth and watched as the boy tried to tug the amused smile off his face.

"Wanker wanker wanker wanker wanker wanker!" Alfred taunted in a sing song voice.

That did it.

"Ah! Ahahahahaaa" Arthur's laughter came out in loud, gasping breathes, his eyes clamped shut and his mouth pulled into a pained smile. Alfred had long let go of his hands, that were currently wrapped around his sides as he hunched over shaking violently.

Alfred chuckled. That made Arthur laugh harder. The American snickered, holding his hand in a fist over his mouth, willing the laughter down. What the hell, why was he laughing now?

Absolutely and utterly completely fucking useless.

In a mere moment, he had been sucked into his own trap, and was laughing just as hysterically beside the tearing blonde, fighting to take in oxygen as his lungs burned and his stomach ached.

Several minutes, spent on laughter and still managing to let out an exauhsted chuckled here and there, they sat sprawled atop the cobblestone streets, chests heaving and both grinning from ear to ear.

"That," Arthur gasped out, "Was the strangest, funniest thing I think I've heard in my life. Please, for your own sake and the sake of anyone you might come across, don't EVER use British slang again." He wiped his face clean of the salty tears that stained his cheeks, still smiling like Alfred had never seen before. He found himself staring at that smile, so vibrant and full of life, lighting up his entire face. Screw the stereotype the Brits had bad teeth. Arthur's were fucking glowing. Even his eyes, usually so serious and calculating, were shining with a kind of happiness that made Alfred want to take a picture of them.

He wished he had a camera right now.

"Dually noted," he agreed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"By the way, not a word of this to anyone," Arthur said more seriously. Alfred scrunched his eyebrows, dissapointed. His emerald eyes had waned themselves back to their normal guarded look, and his mouth was pulled into a thin line. He looks so much older like this. Alfred thought to himself. He supposed that was what drew girls to him, that mature air he had about him, but even so, it was a shame to see that smile go. It made Arthur much easier to be around. He wondered absentmindedly if he would ever see it again.

"Yeah yeah, I hear ya. I'll keep my mouth shut. Just as long as you promise not to have any more 'lets tell the story of my life at school thus far' events with Fane."

Arthur sighed and nodded. "Alright then, I can agree to that."

"Goo-" Alfred crossed his eyes mid sentence as something wet hit the tip of his nose. "What the...?" He looked up that sky, azure orbs growing wide. In the short time that they'd been outside, the sky had grown dangerously dark, the sun completely blotted from view, like a light bulb being covered with some sort of fabric.

"Looks like Fane was right," he noted as another drop landed on his head. "Come on, we better get going." Arthur nodded, pushing himself to his feet and brushing off his pants.

"Yeah."

O ~ O ~ O

"Shit! Shit shit shit!" Alfred swore, backing into a building and running his hands over the wall. Where were they? He'd been walking back with Arthur, it had started pouring rain, and everyone went running screaming. That was when it happened, but he couldn't remember where he had been. Not that he really knew where he was now, or where Arthur was for that matter.

He squinted through the blurry shapes, desperately trying to make sense of the scene in front of him. Even if he could see everyone moving around, there was no way with his vision that he was going to find his glasses in this mess. They'd been bumped off his nose when someone ran into him. He hadn't seen where they'd gone, and in the mob of kids, there was no way it was safe to get on the ground and feel for them. He let out a miserable whine. At this rate, they had probably been kicked halfway across the town and were in pieces.

"Alfred! Alfred Jones! Where the hell are you?"

Arthur?

"Arthur! Hey I'm over here!" He yelled, trying to make out the britons form in the mass. He felt a hand suddenly fall on his shoulder.

"There you are," Arthur growled. "What the heck, you were right beside me one second and then suddenly you're gone! What happened, why are you... where are your glasses?" He asked suddenly.

"They fell off in the crowd." He murmured. "I couldn't see so I wandered over here."

"Cripe," Arthur sighed. "You could have just gotten my attention, I would have grabbed them for you."

"Didn't think of that."

"Clearly."

Alfred glanced over at the blob that was Arthur. He could make out some features; his eyebrows, the studs in his ears, other such things. But they were hazy and unclear, and it hurt Alfred's eyes to even try to look at anything up this close. He closed them.

"Can... can you see anything?" Arthur asked hesitantly. Alfred nodded.

"Some things. I can't read anything though, and pretty much all of it's really blurry and out of focus, especially up close. My vision is better looking at stuff that's far away, so the buildings way over there are pretty clear to me where as you and the crowds, well not so much."

"Oh..." Arthur trailed off. "Well once the students clear out, I'll see if I can find them, if you want me to. Your glasses I mean." He offered. Alfred shook his head.

"It's ok. I break them all the time, so I brought several pairs with me to school. The problem is just getting around until we get back to the cabin where I can put them back on. Everything's fuzzy as it is, it doesn't help that its pouring rain."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Alfred stared up at the sky, heart pounding in his chest. He really did hate losing his glasses.

"Look, you should go back to the team." He told Arthur. "Matty can see pretty well without his glasses, and they're not the right perscription for me but they've worked in the past. Just go get them and I can borrow his, we do it all the time. Besides there's no point in you standing here getting rain soaked with-"

"Idiot," Arthur cut him off. Arthur stiffened at the feeling of something cool wrapped around his fingers. "I'm not going to just leave you here, obviously. It'll work if I hold your hand right? That way I can just drag you along."

Alfred shifted uncomfortably on the balls of his feet. It certainly was the best way to go about it. But walk through the streets with people around? Holding hands with a guy? With ARTHUR? That sort of thing never looked good. Still, if they moved quickly, it would be hard to tell because of the rain. And he doubted to many people would be paying attention to them as the were more focused on getting themselves out of the downpour.

"Alright..." He agreed reluctantly. Arthur shifted his hand so their palms were touching and nodded. Alfred stared at the sky.

"Ready?"

"Yea, let's go." He sighed, pulling his lips into a weak smile. What kind of hero let himself get saved by another guy?

Arthur pulled him slowly at first, taking every step carefully and gently, their hands, though clasped, just barely ghosting against each other. Until it started to rain harder.

"Fuck," Arthur swore, tightening his hold on Alfred's hand. "Now it's getting hard for me to see. I wish cell phones worked in this place, I could call Francis and see where the group is."

"Do you think they went back to the train already?" Alfred asked, ignoring the tingling sensation in his hand. He thoguht he caught Arthur shake his head.

"No, that would take to long. They're probably hiding out inside somewhere. Did you guys pass any coffee shops or big restuarunts?" Alfred frowned, thinking back to their route that day.

"Yea, I think we passed a coffee place somewhere. And I know that Feli and Romano found a pastry shop."

"Do you remember where?" Arthur asked, pulling him along at a faster pace.

"Not really. If it helps, it was about a ten to fifteen minute walk from where I left them to the pub."

"We've been walking for fifteen already." Arthur muttered. "But I'm sure they've wandered somewhere else by now."

"Do you see a toystore?" Alfred inquired.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Then we're right on track." Alfred breathed. "Go straight past it down the street, that's the direction they were going."

"Perfect!" Arthur exclaimed. The briton took off without warning, dashing throguh puddles of rain down the slippery stone street. It felt like a sort of deja vu to alfred, until he remembered that he'd been in the same position with Laura earlier. He started thinking about hands again. Arthur's hand was rough and cold, a polar opposite to girls smooth warm ones. And yet... that uncomfortable feeling he had was different. It was still there, but instead of weird it felt... well like a different kind of weird. Like the kind of weird that had him looking anywhere but their touching skin and the back of Arthur's head. So weird.

"Alfred? Arthur? Is that you guys?" A voice called through the rain. He felt his shoulders sag in relief as he was ripped from his thoguhts. Matthew!

"Matthew!" he yelled, pulling his hand away from Arthur's. The tingling sensation remained. "Matty that's you right?"

"Alfred!" His friends voice broke with concern. "Thank goodness, we were so worried about you two!" His friends blurred form approached him, taking hold of his shoulders. "You're drenched! Both of you! And Alfred, where are your glasses? What happened?"

"It's a long story," Arthur explained, voice edged and weary. "You guy's are in that coffee shop?" Matthew nodded.

"Yes, us and a whole bunch of other people. It's packed in there, but it's one of the only places that didn't shut down when it started to rain. Come on, let's get inside before you two catch pneumonia. Alfred ,is it ok if I guide you?"

"Fine by me, I can't see a thing." Alfred laughed tiredly. Matthew placed his small hand gently on the back of his shoulder and pushed him toward a faint glowing light. Suddenly, he was inside, warm air surrounding his body like a blanket.

"There you guys are!"

"So Matthew was right, you were out there! You've got sharp eyes Matt."

"Arthur, are you alright? You look soaked to the bone." Francis asked, brushing past Alfred to get to his friend. Alfred narrowed his eyes, feeling an odd sort of knawing in his gut at the thought that Francis was rushing to take care of him. It wasn't unusual, after all wasn't that what Matthew had done for him? Even so...

"He's fine." He muttered under his breath. Nobody appeared to hear him over the noise.

"Alfred, here, borrow my glasses." Matthew offered. "I know they don't work quite as well as yours, but they worked in the past so I don't think it should be too different now," Alfred nodded greatfully, enjoying the familiar friendly warmth that came from being around his best friend.

"Thanks Matty, I owe you one," he said, taking the rounded spectacles gently from the other boy's hands and raising them to his face. He squinted as he put them on, trying to get used to the prescription and the small fit. They weren't perfect, but he could see again, for the most part. Matthew giggled.

"Sorry, they just always look really weird on you."

"No kidding," Soren joked. "I remember the first time I saw you use Matt's glasses I almost had a heart attack. I thought you were him! You two seriously look too much alike."

"We don't look that similar." Alfred argued, sticking out his tounge.

"They really don't," Yao agreed, covering his mouth as he let out a yawn. "Really, any person could tell the differance."

"See?" Alfred exclaimed. Soren just rolled his eyes.

"They look funny on you." Arthur snorted from beside him. "Seriously, too weird."

"I didn't ask you, did I?" Alfred pointed out.

"Matthew-san looks different too," Kiku pointed out gently. "You look younger, like a little kid."

"What?" Matthew exclaimed fearfully. "Oh, this is why I never take my glasses off. I always look like a twelve year old without them."

"You look fine." Francis soothed him. "Very charming indeed." Matthew looked away.

"Not really." He mumbled. Francis opened mouth, looking like he was going to protest, but instead snapped it shut and shrugged.

"Alfred? Is that you?" A familiar voice rose over the noise. Alfred perked his ears.

"Heracles?" He called. His team mates gave him a funny look.

"Who?" Antonio whispered.

"Alfred." The chocolate haired boy slipped through the group, smiling brightly, although he looked worn down. "I thought I recognized your voice in here. You're soaked, what happened?"

"Hold a sec, who is this guy?" Romano cut in, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Oh, guys, this is Heracles." He explained, patting his friends back. "We're lab partners in Bio. Heracles, this is my team, the Imperaturi house."

"Ve~ Nice to meet you. My name's Feliciano!" Feliciano offered, extending his hand. Heracles took it, shaking gently.

"I'm Antonio."

"Gilbert."

"Francis."

Soon, everyone was offering their welcome to Alfred's lab partner. Alfred smiled. He was glad that his team mates were so accepting of having friends outside of their own house. He couldn't imagine being in a team that shut everyone else out. Kiku was the last to slip through the crowd and extend his hello. He seemed as nervous as ever, but Heracles completely ignored the fact, taking the boy's tiny hand between his two bigger ones and giving him a gentle smile. He said that his parents had lived in Japan once, so he knew a little of the language through them, although he was from Greece. Kiku seemed surprised, but pleased at this, and offered to teach him more if he wanted. Heracles agreed almost instantaneously. They seem like they're going to get along well. Alfred thought to himself.

"So, Heracles, are you here with your team?" Alfred asked. Heracles nodded.

"Yeah, we slipped in here after it started to rain."

"Where are they?" Ivan asked, looking easily over the other students. Heracles motioned to the team huddled in the back of the room.

"Over there. I kind of snuck away to say hello. They're a little strict about things, my group, but they're not so bad once you get to know them."

"Oh?" Francis asked, raising an eyebrow. "Tought old timers, huh?"

"Oh no, my team is all new this year." He explained.

"Oh, so you're one of the newly formed ones?" Elizaveta exclaimed. "Like us?" Heracles shook his head.

"No, we're a replacement group. For a team that left last year."

"Wait, a replacement?" Arthur frowned, muttering under his breath. "But if I remember correctly, wasn't the only replacement..."

"So what house are you then?" Francis pressed.

Heracles smiled. "I'm from the Script house."

O ~ O ~ O

Arthur yawned, blinking his eyes as he lifted his head off his homeroom desk. It was Monday, and everyone was eagerly awaiting the chance to check the board for the announcement of the first clue towards the challenge. Except for him. All Arthur wanted to do was crawl into bed and go to sleep.

The rain had continued heavily for some time the afternoon before, leaving the team stranded in the coffee shop until it finally began to let up at about three in the afternoon. At that point, everyone was to tired and worn down to do any more shopping for the competition, so they trudged back to the train, bags in hand and returned to the cabin.

Dinner had been a short, rushed affair. Feliciano caught a cold, so had Anotnio, and Yao wasn't doing well either, so Francis had prepared a quick meal before excusing himself to his room and turning in early. Arthur followed suit the best he could, but found himself up against his head board coughing his lungs out, and a headache pounding through his skull. He took an advil, but found that the medicine only made him feel more miserable, and continued to roll and hack for a good while longer until he finally drifted off.

"Psst, Arthur, are you ok?" Laura whispered, nudging his shoulder from her seat beside his. He nodded, letting out another loud yawn.

"Sorry, I didn't sleep well," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "A bunch of kids in our house are sick, including me."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry.," she exclaimed sympathetically. "Have you gone to see the nurse?"

"It's just a cold." He sighed into his arms. "Besides, I'm better then Yao is. He stayed back in the cabin today. Apparently Ivan couldn't even wake him up."

"Poor guy." Laura murmured. "And before a challenge too. I hope that you all get better soon." He waved her off.

"It's fine, really."

And he left it at that.

The day dragged on slowly and mercilessly. When the bell finally rang for lunch, it felt like a 5 ton weight had been lifted from Arthur's shoulders.

"Arthur, are you ok, mon ami? You're not looking so good." Francis asked, coming up from behind him as they entered the hall.

"Yeah I'm fine, honestly." Arthur huffed. "Seriously, why do people keep asking me?"

"Alright alright." Francis chuckled. "I get it. Just take it easy alright?"

"Sure." Arthur gave him a tried smile. "Ah hey, I think Antonio and Gilbert were looking for you."

"Let them look." Francis grinned mischeviously. "They've been dragging me off every which way lately, it's exhausting. I mean, I do like hanging out with them but there's only so much a guy can take. Like the other day, Gilbert wanted to sneak into the gym and swing around on the ropes hanging from the ceiling. Can you imagine ME doing something like that? No thank you. I'm from a noble family after all. It wasn't until I met you that I even did much outside of my studies."

"You were a stick in the mud alright." Arthur snorted. "But still a flirt, that part of you has always been the same." Francis threw his hands into the air.

"What can I say? I love beautiful people."

"Speaking of your 'love' and 'beautiful' people," He began, putting air quotes around two of the words, "Are you back on good terms with Matthew again? You guy's have seemed to be going on and off for a couple weeks now between talking and being awkward."

"I don't know, to be honest." he admitted. "I can't figure out what's going on in that head of his. Sometimes we get along great, and then the next moment he'll be giving me these nervous looks, and all of a sudden he's trying to get a way from me and I haven't even done anything wrong. Like yesterday in town. 'Watch Gilbert' my ass, he just didn't want to hang around me anymore." Francis grumbled. Arthur stared at him in surprise.

"Woah, you don't usually swear in English. This is really bugging you, huh? You don't usually get this upset over the people you're interested in."

"Who knows." He sighed. "Somehow it's different with him. And he keeps being so... so indicisive. If he really doesn't want me around I wish he would just go ahead and say it."

"You really think Matthew would tell you to fuck off?" Arthur snorted.

"No, not in a million years. Which is why it's so frustrating. Because I can't tell if he actually doesn't mind me, or he's just to soft to tell me to leave him alone."

"Do you want him to tell you to go away?"

"Of course i don't." Francis rolled his eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I just wish he'd make up his mind."

"You know, even if he wants you to stick around, his intentions... probably won't be the same as yours." Arthur reminded him.

"Yes, yes, I know. you don't have to remind me." Francis replied. "Still, little Mathieu and I are quite similar."

"Oh please, you're about as similiar as a dog and a cat."

"That's quite the compliement."

"You know what I meant you twat."

"I suppose." Francis chuckled.

"Hey Francis!" Gilbert's voice called over the noise. "Where have you been, Antonio and I have been looking everywhere for ya."

"Oh, here and there." Francis answered off handedly. He glanced around the other boy and Arthur watched as he quirked and eyebrow.

"I hate to sound impatient, but where's the food?"

"Dunno." Gilbert shrugged. "I think Alfred went to go ask that Laura chick if she knew what was going on. Wonder if the headmasters coming to talk again."

"Becuase of the competition?" Arthur guessed. Gilbert nodded.

"Probably."

"Oh hi Francis! What are you doing, standing around in the middle of the cafeteria?" Arthur glanced behind them to see a short, dark skinned girl with long brown hair pulled into familiar looking pig tails smiling up at them.

"Élise?" Arthur blinked, staring at her.

"Oh Arthur! Hi I didn't see you there." She laughed, mouth pulling into an embarrassed smile. "I know it's been a while, but I forgot to tell you guys I really liked your play!"

"Uh... thanks." He grimaced, pushing the memory from his mind. "Wait, but how do you two know each other?" He asked, motioning to Francis.

"Economics," Francis informed him, tossing her a dazzling grin. "Élise here is from France as well. We study together during class. She'd quite good at it, much better then me." Élise blushed and looked away.

"Thank you, but really, it was really amazing meeting Francis. I was so surprised, I thought I might be the only student who spoke French. Ah anyway, um Francis... do you have a minute? I wanted to ask you about something."

"I was gonna roll anyway, if you're busy." Gilbert shrugged. "When you're done, come over to the table k? Toni and I have got the sickest thing to show you!"

"It worries me when you say it like that."

The German boy simply laughed and slapped him on the back before slipping away through the crowded lunch room.

"So," Francis turned back to the girl who was currently fiddling with her hands nervously. "What did you want to ask me?"

She stared up at the ceiling. "Um, actually it's, I wanted to, um..."

"And I was like dude, that is sooo epic! But he totally won't show me how he freaking does it! Seriously, Berwald is so big and stuff, I always figured it would hard for him to climb up that little rope. But he was up there in a heartbeat! I can barely get past the second knot. Have you guys started ropes in gym yet Matty?"

Arthur went rigid and frowned. Suddenly his headache was back full force, and he didn't think it was going to ebb away this time.

"Ah no, we just... oh hi you two, what are doing?" Matthew asked suddenly as they approched the trio.

"Well, there was a conversation going on." Arthur muttered.

"No your conversation, if I remember correctly Angleterre."

"AH! I'm sorry." Matthew stammered. "I didn't mean to... Élise?" Matthew cocked his head.

"Huh? You know her too?" Arthur exclaimed. Alfred was staring at the girl thoughtfully.

"Oh yea, aren't you in our theatre class? That's right, I remember you!" He grinned, clearly pleased with himself for remembering.

"Yeah hi Matthew, hello Alfred." She smiled nervously. "Matthew and I have home economics together. We're seat partners." Matthew nodded.

"Oh?" Francis cut in, clearly as surprised at the news as Arthur. "Well it seems that we all know each other then. Anyway, Élise I'm sorry for all the interuptions. What is it?" She squirmed uncomfortably.

"We can leave if you want." Arthur offered. Francis shook his head.

"No no, it's fine, right Élise? We'll be just a second. Now..."

"It's just... um... I wanted to know... I wanted to know if... if you..."

"I'm sorry mon cher, could you speak up a little, I can't hear you." Francis requested gently. She nodded, rocking back and forth on her feet and taking in a big breath.

"I like you!" She blurted out loudly. "So um i-if you wanted to, would you, would you go out with me?"

The surprise on his friends face was clear as day, the gentelmenly mask he always wore stipped away to reveal the awestruck look he now wore. Obviously he hadn't been expecting that. It's a shame for her he's not interested, Arthur thought inwardly. Set her down gently you ass, remember she just confessed in front of all of us too. That's right. He'll probably say something like 'I'm flattered but..." or "I'm sorry I already like someone...' something like that. Arthur had been friends with Francis for a long time now, and during that time had been subject to watching countless confessions from girls to the French boy, both ones that he accepted, and turned down. There were more of the latter, obviously. It'll be quick and painless, like taking off a bandage. It usually was. His friend was just that smooth, for better or worse.

But to Arthur's immemse surprise, Francis was silent. In fact, he almost looked as if he were thinking about it. Arthur narrowed his eyes. What was he up to? And then he saw it. Just for a moment, a mere instant, the boy's baby blue eyes flickered to his side to glance at Matthew. And then he spoke.

"Miss Élise, I would be honored to go out wi-"

"NO!"

Matthew, who only a second before had been standing quietly and unbothered beside them, was suddenly latched onto Francis's arm and had pulled him roughly backwards, away from the wide eyed girl with his face buried into the cloth of Francis's sleeve as if trying to shield his face.

The area around them got quiet, students glancing around to see what all the commotion was about. Even Alfred was silent, staring at his friend in a sort of awe and disbelief. It remained that way for an instant before conversation quickly sparked again between the students.

And all at once, as if the voices of the kids had awoken him from sleep, it seemed to occur to the fair haired boy what it was exactly he had done. He tumbled backwards, releasing his grip on Francis's arm and staring at them, a horrified expression masking his face as his violet eyes whirled with a storm of emotions so brutal and swept that even Arthur couldn't have gauged what he was thinking at that moment.

"AH! I-I-I-I-I'm s-s-s-so s-s-sorry! P-please, p-p-please excuse me." He whispered lowering his head to the ground.

And without another word, Matthew had turned on his heel and sprinted away.

Alfred was the first to speak up.

"Matt! Matty hey wait up!" He yelled. And then he too was gone, lost in the crowds and chasing after his friend.

"What... uh what just happened." Arthur muttured awkwardly. He glanced up at Francis. He still looked shocked, but at the same time, it seemed as if a pleased little smile had managed to work its way onto his face.

"And there you have it," Francis said suddenly, turning to Élise. "What I was going to say, Miss Élise, was that I would be honored to go out with you, but right now I like someone else. Please accept my deepest apologies. I hope that we can still be friends."

Élise stared at him blankly, mouth agape. "Wait you... I mean you like... you like him!" She blushed furiously. "I'm so sorry I didn't even think that, you would be, you know..." He winked at her.

"For the record, I'm actually bi. But yes, he does... interest me." He chuckled. She smiled.

"Well, I wish you luck then, really I do. And um... can we forget about this?" She asked, scratching her head in embarrassment. Francis gave her a knowing smile.

"Forget about what?" The boy shrugged, feigning ignorance. She laughed quietly.

"Right. Nothing at all. Bye then Francis, I'll see you in class. You too, Arthur!" And with a quick wave she walked off.

"Bollocks, my head hurts even more then it did before." Arthur groaned, holding his aching skull. Francis just grinned, humming happily to himself.

"Hey, don't you go getting all excited or anything," Arthur reminded him, nudging the boy as they started towards the table. "That 'no' could have meant anything."

"True." Francis admitted. "But no matter what it meant, it's certainly going to be the beginning of everything."

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:** And there you have it :P All things will be answered next chapter! Well no... actually one thing will be answered next chapter and its just why the food wasn't there XD But it is a question and it shall be answered! I don't really have to much to say because I'm tired and i'm going to be out from 7 in the morning until 10:30 at night tomorrow so I need to go to sleep early *yawns* Btw, anyone else psyched about the Hetalia movie coming out in dub? :D :D :D Pre ordered :P *jumps up and down* and that sekai ichi hatsukoi is releasing another season in october! I'm so psyched for that, like seriously lol.

I'll see you as soon as I can! :D THank you for your constant support!


	23. Tales and Textbooks

**A/N:** YEA got it up :D :D This one was an absolute joy to right, for more reasons then one :)

So as most of you can probably tell already, I'll be moving my release dates to every other week, because I just can't find the time to write a chapter every week D: Oh, and to those of you who read "A Dangerous Attraction," thank you ^^ and I will be continuing it :D

This is un-betaed, because I wasn't sure if she would have time to, and I'm to busy for the rest of the night to send it to her, get it back, check it over, and then post it. More likely then not, I'll send it to her tomorrow and then reupload this all pretty like ^^ So I'm BEGGING on bended knees, please forgive all the errors, and for those of you who get that itch to tell me what's wrong, hold off on this chapter lol. I promise I will attend to all remaining issues AFTER my beta get's her hands on it :) I am ever thankful for the corrections though :D

Oh and if this chapter seems overly sappy, yea I know XD That's what I get for listening to "Bubbly" while writing this...

Onward! :)

O ~ O ~ O

Alfred turned the shimmering semi-gloss package over in his hands, examining it closely as radiant smile worked its way onto his face. His parents knew him well. He placed the parcel gently in the folds of his bed sheets beside him and picked up a small cardboard box by his feet. It was littered with stamps, and tied up at the top in a bow with a worn piece of string. It was addressed simply, 'To the Hero', with his families address scribbled in familiar penmanship in the left corner, and then another address just beneath it, in his mothers hand. Placing the package on his knees, he slowly undid the messy bow, itching with anticipation.

It had been only an afternoon since he had received the mail in the hall that day. It turned out that the big wait up for food, was because it happened to be mail delivery day. When Laura had informed him of this, he'd been, in all honesty, surprised that they would be allowed to receive anything, to which she promptly replied 'What do you think they're trying to do Alfred, isolate us? Of course we're allowed to get mail.' He'd held back an amused yes as he recalled the useless cell phone in his pocket.

How had his parents gotten the address? He hadn't the slightest. And frankly didn't give a flipping fuck because God it was something physical and there and real from his family, and he was relishing every second of opening each letter, and examining the contents of all the boxes as if there were precious jewels inside. It was if actually getting to see something that they'd touched had turned his faint homesickness into a roaring stomachache.

From his mother, he'd received practical things. A couple extra sets of jeans, some new shirts, a stack of books, a blue and gold scarf (which were apparently the colors of the school, and how he'd missed that announcement Alfred hadn't the faintest) 'to keep him warm' and an extra pair of glasses. Tucked between the folded cloths, she had planted a letter, stuffed with pictures and written like a novel.

His father had been a little bit more ambitious. In his lose, newspaper bound package, he had enclosed not only a stack of Alfred's comic books (which he had been forced to leave at home, courtesy of his mother) but a beautiful, brand new mint condition copy of the latest superman issue, as well as the American flag that had been hanging in Alfred's room, folded carefully and in such a way that it wouldn't crease. The flag was already tacked proudly to the wall beside his bed.

And now, came the most interesting box. It was medium sized, but light, as if there wasn't much in it. The return address at the bottom, a place that Alfred had not been in quite some years, and which brought a nostalgic smile to his face.

He opened the top slowly, peering into the blackness of the parcel. What could it be? A new baseball mitt? A Yankee's jersey? Or maybe he'd sent him that remote control helicopter Alfred had been gunning for. He tilted his head curiously. Looked like clothing. Odd, that wasn't really his style.

Slipping his hand into the box, his eyes lit up as he grasped the material between his fingers. It was leather, but a breathable, light leather, the kind that hung loosely at your sides instead of sticking to you, and that moved with the passing breezes.

Of course, he didn't buy cheap stuff. If he was going to send Alfred clothes, they were going to be expensive. He whipped out the clothing, holding it up in the air to examine. His stomach did a flip-flop. It was a new bomber jacket, crisp and clean as if it had just been made.

Stitched in the top left was a white circle, a golden star set over it and touching the corners just so, as if trying to break out of it's confines. The bottom was lined with a black and white striped border, not made of the leather material, but of a softer fabric, as was the collar, sticking up to act as a sort of shield around the wearers neck. On the back, a white numbered '50' had been stitched into the material, bringing Alfred a warm sense of longing, as he remembered his home in the states. It was perfect.

Jumping to his feet, Alfred pulled his arms through the sleeves and tugged on the ends, fitting around himself. Just right. As if it had been made specifically for him. Alfred wouldn't have been surprised if it actually had been. Turning back to the box, he picked up a small scrap of paper that lay at the bottom.

_'Had this custom made for you. I know you've needed a new one, so I splurged and had it done. Don't tell your mother I had it made, she'll kill me. I'm proud of you kid! At this rate, you're going to be smarter then me someday. Oh, and I swear to you, this is the year you come visit me for the holidays. New York isn't as great without my favorite Nephew, and it's been years since you've gotten to see the tree. Don't worry; I'll work something out. Keep soarin' buddy. –Love, Uncle Jake.'_

Alfred laughed fondly, slipping the scribbled note into his pocket. He said that every year, that they were going to come visit him instead of the other way around. It never did happen, but it didn't surprise him really. His uncle was far too whimsical to plan things like that. His family should consider themselves lucky that they even managed to get him out every year at Christmas time, considering how he was. Still, Alfred supposed if you were as well off as his uncle, you could afford to forget things from time to time.

He hugged the jacket to himself, grinning happily. He definitely couldn't have asked for a better gift. It got him wondering what the others had received. In all the chaos, he hadn't been able to get a good look at how many packages everyone had gotten, and considering Matthew had locked himself in the bathroom when they got home, he really hadn't had the chance. He would have gone and asked Soren, but the boy was still down at school, doing research for something or other.

Alfred glanced casually at the time on his phone. Six fifteen in the evening. Not that you could tell, what with the clouds still pouring down rain outside. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his blue plaid pants. So now what? He chewed on the inside of his lip. He could always go and try to get Matty out again, but somehow he didn't think his friend was going to appear any time soon, and it seemed best to leave him to himself.

"Maybe Kiku's free." He mused, wandering out into the hall. The sound of hoarse, violent coughing invaded his ears almost instantly, and he flinched, glancing uncertainly behind him at the door to Yao and Ivan's room. It sounded like the small Chinese boy still wasn't doing well. He reached for the doorknob, hesitating as his hand brushed the cool, golden brass.

Antonio had tried to pop in early and see if he was all right, and Ivan had been less then appreciative of the other boy's intervention in his roommate's health. It wasn't like he'd been mad or anything, Alfred supposed, more like protective, and Antonio booked it out of there the minute that Ivan had stepped in front of the other boy's bed, insisting that he would be the one to care for him.

He glanced cautiously down the hallway. Maybe he could just slip in for a second to make sure he wasn't coughing up his lungs… With out a second look, he yanked the door open and tumbled into the room. It was surprisingly tidy, looking to be in much better shape then the last time he had wandered in. Then, the floor had been littered with bottles, and one side of the room covered in magazines and trash. The bed still wasn't made, and there were still clothes littering the floor, but it was certainly and improvement.

A soft groan from the right side of the room drew his attention away from the state of the quarters, and over to the pale, onyx haired boy who lay shivering in his bed.

"Yao!" He exclaimed, stepping over to the boy's side. He was sweating profusely, the salty liquid beading across his skin and slipping down his cheeks as he let out a fierce cough, disturbing them. He long, ebony bangs clung to the side of his face, damp from the condensation and looking as if they were in desperate need of a washing. When had he gotten this bad?

"You look terrible." Alfred muttered, brushing his hand across his forehead to feel his temperature. He was definitely warm.

"Hey, Yao can you open your eyes for a sec? Can you sit up at all?" He urged the boy, shaking his shoulder gently. Yao let out a weak cough, but nodded slowly, pushing himself feebly up off his pillow and fixing his golden eyes on the American.

"Sorry, but I need to see if I can figure out what's up." Alfred explained quietly. Yao just shrugged, rubbing his eyes.

"If you could figure out what is wrong with me Alfred Jones, I would be eternally in your debt." He mumbled out, incoherently.

"Ok, ok." He rubbed his arms nervously; wracking his brain in search of what one would normally do next. His mom always asked him what his symptoms were before doing anything.

"Does anything hurt?" He asked experimentally. Yao nodded.

"Throat. Head." He replied, blinking slowly.

"Chills?"

"Yea."

"Do you feel warm?"

"I'm sweating aren't I?" He coughed into his arm, gripping the sheets tightly.

"Anything else?"

Yao shrugged. "It's just a cold, I'll get over it." He muttered tiredly. Alfred scrunched his eyebrows.

"You're not allergic to anything are you?" Yao laughed weakly.

"Not that I know of, no."

"And it started when we got back from town, right?"

"Right. After I'd been," he covered his mouth, turning away as he let out a particularly vicious hack, "in the rain all that time. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

Yao wrinkled his nose. "I just need tea. Tea and some fresh air and I'll be better in no time."

"Tea?" Alfred blinked. Yao nodded. "I can do that." Alfred exclaimed proudly. He wasn't the greatest cook in the world, but he could make tea, even if he wasn't particularly fond of the stuff.

"Give me five minutes, I'll be right back up." He promised, backing towards the door. Yao grunted I reply.

"Could you bring Kiku?"

"Sure."

The Chinese boy let out a dry sigh, and without even a glance at the blonde American, collapsed on the bed and turned away. Alfred inched out the door, shutting it quietly behind him. Tea, tea, tea. He dashed down the hall and rounded the stairwell, tripping down the wooden steps.

Truth be told, he and Yao hadn't really become the best of friends, especially since it was clear that Yao didn't seem enthusiastic at the prospect of sharing his friendship with Kiku. It was for this reason that Alfred felt the urge to help the boy. Maybe if he could prove to him once and for all that he wasn't so bad, then Yao wouldn't drag Kiku away every time they were hanging out. Maybe they would become friends. Who knows, maybe he would become close to Yao too.

And of course, he was a hero, so he couldn't just leave him there as he was.

"Augh. Be careful!" He heard Arthur's voice exclaim. Slipping down the stairs, he popped into the living room and glanced into the kitchen. Arthur was leaned up against the island, pinching his nose in irritation. Beside him stood, to Alfred's immense surprise, Ivan, who was staring with surprise at the floor in front of his feet. The hardwood floor was littered with broken glass that lay half hidden in a puddle of steaming liquid. Over the sound of the thundering rain, Alfred realized he could hear music playing softly from the countertop, and spotted a small black radio perching atop the counter.

"I didn't expect it to be so hot." Ivan admitted, bending down to stick his finger in the brown substance and pulling it back suddenly, as if he'd been burned.

"Well, it's no good now. You're going to have to make another cup. Here, I'll do that, and you can clean this up."

"No, I want to do it." Ivan insisted, staring pleadingly up at the emerald-eyed boy. Arthur sighed.

"What's going on?" Alfred asked curiously, stepping cautiously around the mess. Arthur narrowed his eyes and shot him a glare.

"What are you doing down here?" He muttered sourly. Alfred scrunched his nose. Who pissed in his lemonade?

"Actually, I came down to make Yao a cup of tea. It seems like he's getting worse." Ivan sprang to his feet.

"I'm doing that." Ivan informed him.

"Yes yes, we know." Arthur grumbled. "Idiot's been down here for twenty minutes making a bloody cup of tea. If you would just let me do it, he would have something to drink by now."

"I can do it, I can." Ivan assured him. Arthur shook his head.

"Have you never made tea before?" Alfred asked cautiously, grabbing a paper towel off the rack. Ivan nodded.

"Da, it's never been something I had to do. I don't really get sick much, and I'm quite sure I've never had a cold before. I remember once when I was little I was sick though, and my _sestra_ made me tea. I felt much better after drinking it so I was thinking that if I gave some to Yao, he might get better too." Ivan admitted. "But I've never made it before. When my sister gave it to me, it was always lukewarm, so I didn't expect it to be so boiling and I uh…"

"Dropped it." Arthur finished. Alfred shrugged, getting to his knees and carefully picking out the shards.

"Accidents happen. Can't be helped. After all, there's no use crying over spilt tea." He laughed at his own joke, wiping up the mess. "But seriously, if you're going to bring him something, hurry up and do it. He's sounding worse by the wheeze."

Ivan nodded assuringly. "Alright." He said, and he was rummaging through the cabinets in search of another mug. He felt something brush his shoulder.

"You're being awfully nice to him." Arthur muttered, squatting beside him and placing the pieces gently into his open palm.

"Yea well, he's really trying to be helpful. And I don't think he's such a bad guy, really." Alfred murmured quietly as Ivan started the microwave. Arthur shot him a baffled look.

"I thought you hated him!"

"No, I hate you. He just creeps me out a little."

Arthur stared into the ground, reaching for a particularly large piece of ceramic.

"W-well of course I know that much." Arthur retorted. "I mean, do you think I would be standing here ordering him around like that if I actually thought he was going to hurt me? He could probably pick me up with one hand"

"Soren could probably do that too."

"Didn't ask you." Arthur hissed, shoving him. "Anyway, he asked me to help him make tea, so I agreed to it. I just didn't know I was helping a five year old make a cup. Really, not knowing how to do such a simple thing." Arthur let out a frustrated sigh. "But he's serious about making it himself. He would have never let me talk to him like that otherwise."

"I think I finished." Ivan called over the beeping microwave.

"Alright, take it out. And grab it by the handle this time so you don't burn yourself. Be careful." Arthur called. "And make sure not to slosh it, we don't want it on the floor."

"Right."

Alfred stifled a chuckle. "You're like a mom." He smirked playfully. Arthur scowled at him, feeling through the puddle of tea in search of stray shards of the cup.

"Shut up."

Alfred opened his mouth to retort, but stopped short as Arthur let out a pained hiss, retracting his hand swiftly as if he'd just been bitten by a snake.

"Damn it." Arthur swore, shaking his hand. "I pricked myself." Alfred stared at the boy's index finger that, despite the green-eyed boys best efforts, was starting to bead drops of blood at the tip.

"Let me see." Alfred ordered, taking his hand and examining the cut. It didn't look too deep. But Arthur was definitely going to need a band-aid. He felt the Briton fight his grip, and Alfred let go, allowing him to wrench his hand away.

"I can take care of it myself." He growled, looking away. "Don't touch me."

"I'm only trying to help."

"I don't need your help."

"Consider it payment for the other day."

Arthur snorted. "Oh so I help you through a rainstorm, and you give me a band aid. That's a fair trade off if I ever saw one."

"Are you two OK?" Ivan asked suddenly, peering over the island at them.

"Fine, just fine." Arthur lied. "Have you got it out?"

Ivan nodded.

"Good. Take the tea out of the package, and just let it sit in the cup. Make sure to leave the string hanging out."

The boy grunted in reply, and disappeared from view. Arthur sighed, staring at his finger again.

"Guess I'll have to wash it first."

"Let me do it." Alfred insisted. Arthur glowered at him.

"No, I'm not going to let you help me. Why are you so stuck on this anyway?"

Alfred shrugged. He wasn't really sure himself, to be honest. He just… really wanted to help him. A thought struck him suddenly.

"Do you remember when I asked you to deal with Francis for me? I promised you I'd do something for you right?" Arthur narrowed his eyes, as if trying to pull the memory from the depths of his thoughts. He nodded slowly.

"Yes I remember. You still haven't followed through on that. What about it?"

"Let this be that thing."

Arthur scoffed at him, getting to his feet and placing his handful of ceramic on the counter top. "If I've got the authority to order you around, I'm going to use it on something other then you helping me with a cut."

"Damn." Alfred swore quietly. Oh well, it was worth a try. "Alright alright, even so I still want to help."

"Shove off."

"Arthur, should I put sugar in it?" Ivan asked, playing with the teabag lazily as it splashed around in the cup. Arthur shook his head, running his finger under the tap.

"No, not when he's sick. Check the pantry to see if he have honey, that would work much more effectively."

"I'll check." Alfred offered, already reaching for the doors. He peered into the piles of food, shifting through them curiously. "Didn't Antonio get honey the other day at the store?"

"Yea, it should be in there." Arthur replied.

Alfred stuck his hand in between the containers, feeling around for the bottle. "Ah, I think I got it!" He exclaimed. Sure enough, out from the mess popped a small, clear bottle, filled with the gooey yellow stuff.

"Yuuum" He grinned, tossing the bottle to Ivan who caught it easily. "Man I love honey."

"I will be honest, I have never had it." Ivan admitted opening the cap and sniffing the top. "It smells sweet."

"You've never had honey?" Alfred cried, horrified. "Man, I never thought I'd feel sorry for a commie, but I guess there's a day for everything. Put it on toast, the stuff is heaven, I'm telling you."

"It also rots your teeth." Arthur muttered from behind him, finger wrapped gently in a paper towel. "Pour in a little, but not to much." Ivan nodded, and carefully let out a small squirt of it into the steaming tea.

"Perfect." Arthur sighed, smiling wryly, reaching into the bottom cabinets in search of a box of band-aids. "Now to just get it up to Yao."

"Why don't we do that?" Alfred offered quickly, fearing that the Russian boy would have another mishap with the boiling liquid. "Yao wanted me to get Kiku, so maybe you could do that?" Ivan frowned, cocking his head.

"You were talking to Yao?"

"Ahahahaa yea he um called to me through the door." Alfred lied. No need to tell him he'd been in there and upset him. Ivan instantly relaxed, letting an easy smile flit onto his face.

"Ah, I see,"

"We better hurry with this stuff. Here, give it to me." He said, extending his hands out to grasp the pale blue mug. Ivan hesitated, but reluctantly, handed him the piping cup. Alfred flinched at the heat.

"Cool. We'll get this right up to him." Alfred promised, grasping the cup gently in his hands. Arthur appeared at his side, pale band-aid wrapped snugly around the tip of his finger.

"Thank you." Ivan said earnestly. "I will be right behind you with Kiku." They exchanged a quick nod, and Alfred turned gently, starting up the stairs with the drink, Arthur following hurriedly behind him.

"You handled that well." Arthur said quietly, causing Alfred to almost lose his grip on the tea.

"I what?" Alfred blinked, turning to look at the Briton.

"You handled it well." Arthur repeated, furrowing his thick eyebrows. "It was a good idea to offer taking it instead of letting him trip over his feet and drop it again. He's good intentioned, just a little…"

"Childish?" Alfred offered. "Seriously, what kind of person has never had honey before?"

"We don't know anything about his family." Arthur pointed out. "Perhaps it wasn't something that had access to. Speaking of family…" Alfred caught Arthur toss him a sideways glance. "Did they give you that jacket? Your family I mean. It looks ni-new." He fumbled over his words. Alfred nodded awkwardly.

"Yea, my uncle sent it to me. He lives in New York."

"Ah." Arthur replied. "It um, it suites you I guess." Alfred's eye's lit up, a surprisingly pleased sensation bubbling in his stomach.

"Really? Thanks." He grinned happily.

"Don't sound so cocky, I said it suites you, not that it looks good." Arthur snapped, rubbing the silver studs in his ears. Alfred laughed.

"Hey, you do that when your nervous, right? Play with your earrings I mean." Arthur glowered at him.

"Shut up."

"What are you morons going on about now?"

It was all Alfred could do to keep the cup of tea from dropping from his hands and clattering to the ground.

"Lukas!" Arthur gasped, exasperated. "Don't come up and scare us like that. What if this oaf had dropped the tea on himself? Then we'd have glass to clean up and an extra load of wash to do."

"Gee thanks for worrying about me." Alfred muttered sourly. He glanced at the small blonde, standing behind them on the steps and holding a package by his side. The hood of a navy blue windbreaker covered his head; the smooth surface beaded with drops of rain, and zipped up to his chin. His black rain boots were caked with mud that extended up to the edges of his jeans, leading Alfred to the conclusion that he'd run home from… well wherever he'd been.

"Where were you any way?' Arthur asked, echoing his thoughts. Lukas shrugged.

"At school. Tino forgot to pick up his mail so I got it for him."

"Did you see Soren?" Alfred inquired. "It's getting kind of late." Lukas scowled.

"No, I didn't see him. He's not my problem to take care of. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get up stairs." He growled, pushing past them and marching up the steps.

"Touchy." Alfred rolled his eyes. "Anyway, are we going?"

"Lukas!" A voice called frantically from behind them.

"Oh now what?" Arthur snapped, spinning around. Alfred smiled at the familiar tone.

"Soren." He smiled, glad to see his friend was back at last. The Dane was breathing hard, leaning against the wall in exhaustion as water trickled off of him, each drop hitting the wood floor with a dull thunk.

"Al?" He coughed, lifting his head and blinking at them.

"The one and only." Alfred chuckled. "But uh, what are you doing? Did you need Lukas, because he just went upstairs?"

"You could say that." He sighed. "I saw him leaving the school and he completely ran away from me! So I chased him all the way home and then he locked the front door on me."

"If he locked the front door, how in God's name did you get in?" Arthur scoffed. Soren tossed Alfred a knowing grin, and pulled a paper clip out of his pocket.

"Let's say, I've gotten pretty good at unlocking things." He sniggered, slipping it back in his pants. "Anyway, sorry, I really have to uh…"

"Go ahead." Alfred stepped aside, motioning for his friend to go through. "Just promise me you're not gonna lock yourself in the bathroom."

Soren raised his eyebrows.

"I'll tell you later." Alfred sighed, smiling wryly. "Just go."

"Thanks." Soren nodded his head, and with a quick grin, dashed past them and disappeared up the stairs.

"I wonder why Lukas would lie about that?" Alfred wondered aloud. "I mean, he said he hadn't seen Soren…"

"Who knows? Who cares?" Arthur grumbled. "I thought we were helping Yao?"

"Oh yea!" Alfred remembered. "Come on, we better get going."

"Idiot."

"Piss off."

Arthur chuckled dryly and shook his head. Alfred couldn't help but smile, despite himself. No matter how much he disliked this boy, he loved it when Arthur laughed, and he'd take it however he could get it. Not that he'd ever tell him that.

When they got to Yao's room, he was coughing just as violently as ever, body wracked with every hack he let out. He took the tea gratefully, and Alfred and Arthur watched as he drank it slowly, tired contentment shining in his eyes with each sip.

"Thank you." He breathed quietly, after a particularly long drink and wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "I feel better already. Really."

"Is there anything else you need?" Arthur inquired gently. Yao paused, glancing at the door.

"Well actually…"

"Yao!" Kiku burst through the entryway, eyes wide with an uncharacteristic panic and arms filled with a bundle of various cloths and knick-knacks. "Yao, are you ok? Ivan told me you were getting worse! Here, I brought a wet cloth, and another blanket. And I found your stuffed panda, it was in my suitcase! Oh and I brought you books to read. I know you've already read all of these, but I didn't have any others. Ah and I can make you soup and rice if you want!" Kiku rambled, fumbling with the pile in his hands. "I would have made you tea, but Ivan said he'd already done that."

"Ivan?" Yao stared, clearly still in the process of going through everything his friend had said. "No, Alfred made me tea, I asked him to."

"Actually Ivan made it." Alfred corrected him, glancing at the platinum haired boy who was peering into the room quietly from the hall. "I got down there just as he was finishing up."

Yao cocked his head, narrowing his eyes, as if unsure as to weather he should believe him. "Ah well… thank you then." He sighed, setting the cup down on his bedside table. "Thank you Ivan." He whispered, staring at the ceiling. A joyful smile flit onto the Russians face.

"I'm glad you like it." He said evenly, not allowing his voice to betray the emotions so clear on his face. Alfred felt the tug of curiosity nudging at his gut. Interesting.

"Ah but Kiku thank you for everything you've brought me too!" Yao said quickly, pausing to cough into his blanket. "But..." He smiled tiredly, the warm glow returning to his golden eyes. "The company of my best friend is really all I needed."

Kiku shook his head, "Not if you want to get better it isn't." He lectured sternly, placing the items at the foot of Yao's bed, and surprising him by pressing the cool rag to his forehead. "Now lay down and go back to sleep. I'll stay, but no talking. You don't want to wear your throat out more then you already have."

"Oh alright." Yao pouted, sliding under his sheets and coughing harshly. "You, will stay, right?"

"Of course." Kiku rolled his eyes, pinching Yao's nose lightly. "I'm not going anywhere." With a slow nod, Yao let his eyes close, and Alfred watched as he settled comfortably into the covers. He was out in almost an instant.

"Thank you, all of you." Kiku murmured in a hushed tone, careful not to wake his slumbering friend. "I'll take care of him for now, so you don't have to worry any more."

"I'm going to stay too." Ivan said, violet eyes fixed, almost tenderly, on Yao's sleeping form. "I am his room mate, I should have been able to help him by myself."

"No one's asking you to do all that." Kiku chuckled. "We're a team after all. We all have to help each other." Ivan nodded.

"Thank you. I'm glad you could do what I couldn't." He sighed, falling onto his bed. "And to you two. I am very grateful."

"We didn't do anything special." Arthur insisted, surprising Alfred as he felt the boy's fingers wrap around his wrist. "Anyway, we better be going, before we wake Yao again. We'll come get you when dinners done." And with a polite bow, Arthur pulled him out of the room and shut the door.

"Well, you didn't have to yank me along." Alfred muttered, rubbing his wrists. "I was going to come."

"Sure you were." Arthur snorted. "Come on, let's just go back to the room for now. Ludwig said at lunch we were going to have a meeting before dinner about the challenge, and if I remember correctly, we both have a history test to study for."

"Ugh." Alfred groaned. "That's right, damn it. Wait but aren't you in the advanced class?" Arthur shrugged, pushing open the door to their room.

"So? We're basically working on the same thing, my class just goes more, in depth with it."

"Ah…" Alfred scrunched his nose. He couldn't imagine anyone actually wanting to take a higher-level history class. It was so boring.

"What's that?" Arthur asked suddenly, as Alfred closed the door behind him.

"What's what?" He blinked, staring at the Briton. Arthur nodded to the flag above Alfred's bed.

"Oh, gift from my dad." He responded, ignoring the annoyed look on Arthur's face. 'If you have a problem with it, get a union Jack and call it even."

"Whatever." Arthur muttered, plopping down on his bed and rooting through his bag. "What chapter are you guy's on?"

"Uh, we just started chapter four. I think."

"Geeze." Arthur sighed, hauling the heavy textbook out of his knapsack. "At least remember where you are in the book. Lucky for you, I think we're on the same chapter."

"It's kind of a weird book, don't you think?" Alfred asked, setting himself down on the floor in the middle of the room, and pulling his notes from his binder. "I mean, what kind of textbook on British history has so much about…"

"America?" Arthur snorted, sitting down softly beside him. "I noticed it to. I mean, it just sped right through the rest of British history, right up to the American Revolution! I checked the back of the book, and that's all about pre-war, far far before America had even been discovered. I don't understand it, honestly. Why wouldn't you put that first?"

"It's more like an British-American textbook." Alfred agreed, thumbing through the pages in search of where he had left off. "I wonder why anyone would write a book all about those two countries?" Arthur shook his head.

"How should I know? If I had written it, the United States wouldn't even be mentioned."

"Harsh." Alfred muttered.

"Oh please." Arthur replied heatedly. "You're country's not even three hundred yet. Great Britain has seen and been a part of more history then America ever will. It's only natural to center one's focus on Britain."

"Say's you." Alfred snapped. "Who needs you Brits anyway? Why didn't you guys just fuck off when we told you to, huh? We were fine on our own, I can assure you."

"Well don't look at me." Arthur huffed. "Why my ancestors would want to hold on to such a God forsaken piece of land, I'll never know."

Alfred paused, rubbing his thumb over the edge of the flimsy textbook pages.

"I guess Britain must have really loved America." He murmured thoughtfully.

Arthur raised his bushy eyebrows skeptically. "Loved? My people most certainly didn't love the Americans, Jones. You all were just an investment."

"Pain in the ass investment though." Alfred laughed, giving him a brazen grin. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"No doubt there. If all Americans back then were like you, I can't even begin to imagine how obnoxious it must have been, dealing with those people."

"Well you're not exactly a ray of sunshine either."

"Irrelevant." Arthur grumbled, waving him off. "Anyway, that wasn't the point. America held no significant meaning to Britain, other then it's exports. Simple as that."

"I guess." Alfred agreed reluctantly. "Even so, don't you think there must have been something? Something other then that that kept the British there? I mean, Britain and America were like brothers, weren't they?"

Arthur wrinkled his nose. "I thought the analogy was a mother and daughter?"

"Yea, but I thought it about it, and America is definitely a guy. I guess Britain would be too, cause you guys used to be freaking scary."

"So why not father and son? Why brother and brother?" Arthur asked impatiently, crossing his jean clad legs and leaning forward.

"I don't really know." Alfred shrugged. "I guess, it's always felt more brotherly to me, then like a dad and his son. Ya know, cause a Dad, well he loves his kid no matter what, and is always watching over them. And kids are rebellious, but they usually go back to their parents in the end. Forgive them, you know? But brothers are different, especially and older one and a younger one."

Arthur cocked his head, and Alfred continued.

"The older one cares, but they're not constantly hovering over them, unless the younger one starts to get out of line, or do something the older doesn't like. Then they start fighting, and a lot of the times, they'll never stop. No matter how much they love each other, or even if they forgive each other eventually, that old grudge will never completely fade. A father wouldn't hold that against his son. Although, I think if you were to look at them that way, then they stopped being brothers after the revolutionary war. I guess you would call them more like… adopted brothers? So not actually related by blood, but so close you would think so. They still love each other now, but it's different somehow."

"Different how?" Arthur leaned back on the palms of his hands, earnest curiosity glittering in his green orbs.

"See, that's what I've never been able to figure out." Alfred admitted. "Maybe like best friends? But that still doesn't feel quite right. I just, don't know." He sighed, rubbing his shoulders. "Maybe one day I'll figure it out." He looked up Arthur, who was shaking his head and grinning softly. "What?" Alfred said, defensively

"Nothing. That's just, the most interesting way I've ever heard the story of America and Britain told." He laughed quietly. Alfred felt his pulse quicken. There it was again, that wind chime laugh. How lucky he was, to be getting along well enough with Arthur to hear his laugh twice. Although how long it would last, Alfred could never be sure. Chances were they'd be back to yelling at each other soon enough. It wasn't like he cared about the fighting, per say. He didn't care what the Briton did, or thought of him, considering he didn't care for him either. On the other hand, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something purely magical about Arthur's laugh, magic that any person would want to be a part of.

"Well geeze, you can have your way if you want." Alfred grumbled, crossing his arms.

"No, actually, I rather like your way." Arthur admitted, a twinge of hesitation lacing his voice. "It actually makes more sense then the parent child view of it all. And you're definitely dead on about the brother thing." Arthur smiled wryly. "They do tend to be just like that."

"You-you had brothers?" Alfred asked cautiously. Arthur nodded slowly.

"Damn pretentious tossers, that's what they were." He smiled lazily. "My brothers and I, well the lot of us were quite a bunch."

"I'm an only child." Alfred shrugged. "I've never known what it's like. Was it, nice?"

"Sometimes." Arthur chuckled. "I remember on night I was sleeping, and two of my older brothers came into my room and shook me awake. They told me that they had something to show me. I was only six at the time, so you can imagine my excitement at gallivanting out into the night with my elder brothers." He stared off into space, as if seeing the scene before him.

"We were in the country side at that time you see, visiting relatives, so it was virtually silent outside, and there wasn't a soul around, besides us. The stars were so bright there, and I was short, so the field grasses came up to my waist. I remember I kept thinking that there was something touching me. We wondered down the road a way's, and they told me I had to be quite as we neared this old, rotting barn."

"They opened the doors, looking at each other with these grins on their faces. If I'd seen those smiles with the knowledge I have now, I would have been out of there in an instant. Anyway, they led me into the place, and it was dark, really dark. The only light was from this little lamp hanging at the entrance. But I kept hearing these noises from up in the loft, and my brothers motioned for me to follow them up the ladder they had begun climbing."

Arthur laughed suddenly, eyes crinkling pleasantly at the corners. "There was my eldest brother, up in the loft amongst the hay, pulling the shirt off of some girl. Wasn't a pretty girl either. Now, normally I would never describe a girl as such. After all, all ladies are beautiful in their own way, and each has their own charming feature. But this girl, she looked like she fell out of the ugly tree an hit every branch on the way down." He snorted.

"And my brothers, bless them, cupped their hands over their mouths, and yelled 'Don't do it, you're only a boy!' Well the girl screamed bloody murder of course. Nearly tumbled off the ledge trying to get her shirt back on. And then the idiot hit her head against something on her way down another set of stairs to get away from us, and was knocked out cold. She'd accidently popped my brother in the eye, so he was cursing, tumbling around blindly but trying to find as all the same."

"I'll tell you, we booked it. I had never run so fast in my life. Of course he was after us in an instant, swearing so loudly I was sure he was going to wake up the neighbors a mile away, and waving this wrench at us. My brothers, in hysterics at this point, despite themselves, yelled 'We did you a favor!'

"And then," Arthur let out an amused chuckle, "he realizes this girl is laying on the ground out cold, so he grabs her by the leg and starts pulling her along as he chases us. We must have been quite a sight. Three little boys being chased by an elder with a black eye, flailing a wrench in his right hand, and dragging an unconscious girl behind him with his left. We managed to get back to the house before him, somehow, and locked him out. I don't think I'd ever laughed, or cried so hard in my life. Of course, it was never brought up with our parents."

He smiled fondly at the wood floor, spinning his thumbs around each other. "He left for boarding school the next day. It was the last time I ever saw my eldest brother."

"Wow." Alfred breathed. Because what else could he say to that? Arthur's face… he had never seen such a contortion of happiness and misery compiled into one expression before. If a hurricane could be calm, that would be Arthur's eyes, a violent battle raging in his calm emerald orbs. If weak could be strong, that would be his mouth, fighting between a smile and a frown, as if he were trying to decide what was ok for him to show. His shoulders sagged, as if carrying the weight of the world, but his head was held high, like that of a confidant leader.

Alfred simply couldn't figure out what to make of him.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly, finally able to force words out of his throat. Arthur shook his head and gave him an amused look.

"What for? I love that story. Makes me remember how stupid they were." He snorted. "Now, we were studying, weren't we?"

O ~ O ~ O

"Alright alright everyone shut up!" Ludwig bellowed over the noise of the room. Voices hushed quickly, eyes turning their attention to the annoyed German at the head of the room. "Thank you." He growled. "Now, as I am sure you are already aware of, we are here to discuss the upcoming challenge. All of you saw the clue, correct?"

"A flag, wasn't it?" Antonio piped up. Ludwig nodded.

"That's correct."

"Shitty ass teachers, how the hell are we supposed to figure out what it is with such a dumb hint?" Romano complained from his seat near the fireplace.

"It's not that difficult, is it?" Elizaveta asked. "Isn't it obvious what we're doing?"

"No, not really." Roderich responded, crossing his arms. "Do you understand, Ms. Elizaveta?" Alfred felt a grin tug tat his lips as the girl blushed lightly and flattened her skirt nervously, remembering Arthur's words. She really did like Roderich, didn't she?

"Um well, I figured it was something like capture the flag. That would make sense, wouldn't it?" She explained. Murmurs of agreement echoed around the room.

"But that's not a challenge at all!" Gilbert protested. "It's just a silly kids game!"

"Perhaps it's a different version of capture the flag?" Tino offered. "A more challenging one?"

"Th't would m'ke the m'st sense." Berwald agreed. "It d'se seem l'ke th'ts what the ch'llenge is. B't I can't th'nk of how you w'ld make c'pture the fl'g m're diffic'lt."

"It's likely that they'll spread us out over a wider radius then one would during a normal game." Lukas explained in monotone. " And I can guess that we would need at least two days to complete the challenge, so it's likely we'll be camping out."

"Lovely." Francis murmured bitterly, leaning against the front door.

"If we assume it's something like that, then we should probably start coming up with a plan." Soren urged. "Like who's going to stay at base and act as guards, who's going to be flag searchers, that sort of thing. Also, I think it would be a good idea to operate in teams of two, that way we're not all alone, and if we get ambushed it'll be easier to get out of it."

"Wait wait wait, hold on a minute." Roderich protested. "All of you are coming up with these things based on the assumption that this is going to be that type of challenge. What if Elizaveta's wrong, and it isn't even remotely related to capture the flag? Should we really be putting all of our strategy into one person's inference?" He argued. "We should be spending more time trying to figure out exactly what the challenge is, before we start planning." Hushed whispers were flung around the room, debating the basis of Roderich's accusation.

"Well, I don't know about you guy's, but boring challenge or not, I'm sticking with her." Gilbert said firmly over the noise. "I uh, I mean if we're picking sides now." He finished awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Elizaveta gave him a surprised look, as if she couldn't believe the albino boy was actually agreeing with her.

"Fine then." Ludwig called over the noise. "All in favor of taking Elizaveta's idea and proceeding with planning step to the right side of the room. All in favor of taking more time to re-evaluate the challenge step to the left side."

"No i-it's OK!" Elizaveta insisted, glancing around frantically as people began to take their sides. "I agree with Roderich, it's probably best that we think this over a little more. It would be a waste to do so much planning and then be wrong, wouldn't it?"

"Bullshit." Gilbert spat. "You're right and you know it. Honestly, what are you doing, agreeing with that Austrian prick?"

"Shut up." She snapped defensively. "I can change my mind if I want. I don't want any division in the group." Gilbert looked away, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Fine. Whatever." He muttered.

"Elizaveta, don't fight with Gilbert." Feliciano murmured, breaking out of the circle that had formed around the arguing pair to lay a hand on her shoulder. "That won't solve anything either." Elizaveta nodded, lowering her head.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to cause problems." She apologized earnestly.

"Thank you, Feliciano." Ludwig said warmly, smiling down at the golden-eyed brunette. Feliciano grinned cheerfully.

"Ve~ well I don't like seeing everybody fight!"

"You're such a good boy." Antonio cooed, ruffling Feliciano's hair and eliciting a laugh from the Italian.

"Aww, aren't you nice Antonio." Francis chuckled. "Don't tell me you're sweet on our little Feli?" He asked innocently.

"Like hell I'd let him have my brother!" Romano snapped. A handful of amused snickers echoed around the room at the boy's outburst.

"No don't worry, he is adorable but you're like a little brother, aren't you Feli?" Antonio smiled brightly, wide grin lighting up his vibrant green eyes.

"Ugh, are you guy's seriously having this conversation?" Gilbert snickered, clearly already having pushed off the spat with Elizaveta. "Lame."

"Don't be sore just because he's not your little brother." Antonio chided, hugging the smaller boy.

"My stomach." Lukas groaned. "Oh God it's just to sickening." More laughter at this.

"Hah! I don't care about that. Obviously I've got the best little brother. Adn we're actually related!" Gilbert hooked his arm around the shoulders of an annoyed looking Ludwig.

"No way!" Antonio cried. "That's not fair, just because you're related." Gilbert stuck out his tongue.

"Tough."

"Alright, knock it off you two." Ludwig muttered, pushing his brother off of him. "Anyway, I think for now, it's best not to discuss it until we have everyone here. We're missing Yao, Kiku, Ivan and Matthew, and I don't want them left out of this discussion. Come, let's call this meeting to an end and have dinner."

"Here here!" Soren called enthusiastically.

"Hey! I've got an idea!" Tino exclaimed. "Why don't we all make dinner together? Francis, Antonio and Feliciano, you all can tell us what to do, and we can work in stations. It'll be much faster then having them do all the work alone."

"I'm all for that." Soren agreed. "Anyone else?"

"I think it sounds like fun." Elizaveta piped up.

"J'st tell us wh't to do." Berwald nodded.

"But isn't the kitchen a little small to fit all of us?" Romano protested. Feliciano smiled at his brother, pulling a stack of cutting boards out of the cabinets.

"Ve~ well as long as we clean the stations, we can have people working at the coffee table. Plus the island provides a lot of room, not to mention the counter space itself. And some stations won't need a surface for work, as long as they have bags to throw the scraps in."

"Perfect." Antonio said enthusiastically. "Alright here's what we need to do…"

The house was a blur for a good hour after that, as the group worked together to prepare dinner. He couldn't say peeling apples was the easiest thing he'd ever done, but he clearly was having less trouble then Lukas, who, despite his best efforts, kept peeling them in chunks.

The noise of the chattering students, mixed with the pounding music of the radio and the pattering of the rain on the windowpanes, gave the house a familiar inviting feeling. And with each laugh and poorly sung song; every crinkled nose and joyful smile, the homesickness that had been plaguing his stomach earlier disappeared, and was replaced with a sweet, blissful warmth.

O ~ O ~ O

At last, it was Friday morning, four days after the official start of the challenge week. Today was the day it all started.

"Matthew, wake up." He mumbled, wiping sleep from his eyes as he shook his friend from his slumber on the couch. Matthew groaned, tugging his fleece blanket further over his head. "Matty come on, you gotta get up." Alfred yawned, tugging on the boy's stray curl in an attempt to get his attention.

"Ow!" Matthew whined, slapping Alfred's hand away. "Alright alright I'm up." He grumbled, feeling around the coffee table in search of his glasses. "What time is it?"

"Six thirty." Alfred blinked, adjusting his spectacles as he glared into his watch. "They said they wanted us down by the lakeside at 7:30, and I figured you wanted to shower."

"Thanks." Matthew muttered, rubbing his hand through his bed head and arching his back. Alfred snorted, allowing an amused smile to flit across his lips.

"You've got to stop sleeping on the couch. You're going to ruin your back Matt."

"I'm fine." Matthew insisted, folding his blanket up and getting to his feet. "I'm just not used to it yet."

"Would you please just sleep in your room like a normal person?"

"You know I can't do that." Matthew reminded him, shuffling over to the kitchen, his oversized pajama bottom trailing on the floor beneath his feet.

"Yea, so you've said. But you haven't told me why." Alfred persisted. "What happened with Francis that day Matty, and don't say nothing because you wouldn't be acting like this if it was." Matthew sighed and shook his head, pulling a glass out of the cabinet and turning on the tap.

"I just, need a little time away from him. To sort some things out." He insisted firmly.

"Time away from him, huh?" Alfred rolled his eyes. "So that's why you've practically leapt out of your socks every time someone's mentioned him the last week."

"Oh be quite." Matthew mumbled sourly.

"Matty, you can't avoid him forever." Alfred pointed out, watching as his friend downed the cup of water. "The competition starts today, meaning we're all going to have to work and stay together, weather that's in a group, or our individual pairs. One way or another, you're going to have to find it in you to put what happened back there behind you and focus.

"I know." Matthew replied in a resigned voice. "I can't pull the rest of the house down because I'm being petty. I'll, try my best, I promise Al." He smiled encouragingly and Alfred chuckled, knocking his head gently across the back of the head.

"As long as you're trying. And don't worry, if it get's too hard, Soren and I are here. If you really need a barrier between the two of you, we'll happily provide one."

Matthew huffed indignantly. "Oh shush I can take care of myself. I've done all right so far, haven't I? Besides you two are always itching for a chance to bother Francis."

"This is true." Alfred laughed. "Anyway, get going and shower, before everyone else wakes up. I think Arthur was stirring when I got a up about ten minutes ago."

Matthew nodded, shooting him a curious glance. "Speaking of Arthur, how are things going?" Alfred raised his eyebrows.

"No different then normal. Still can't stand him, he's as much of a pain in the ass he's always been."

"Really?" Matthew's mouth twisted into a small 'o' of surprise. "I had been under the impression you two were starting to get along."

"Yea, not really." Alfred muttered. I've just gotten better at keeping myself from hitting him, that's all." Well, it was true. The hostility was still there, obvious as always, although maybe they had become even the smallest bit more civilized with each other. But that was beside's the point. If you ignored all the times they had actually been forced to get along, they still did nothing but argue.

"Well, at least there's that much." Matthew chuckled. "And Soren… well he told you about what happened weeks ago, right?"

"Yea." Alfred nodded. "I thought everything had been worked out, but yesterday Lukas came bursting into the house, insisting that he hadn't seen Soren, and literally two minutes later, Soren showed up, asking where Lukas had gone. He said they'd met up in the hallway and Lukas ran away from him for no reason, but I'm thinking Soren might have said something about the cross to him."

"Figured he would." Matthew rolled his eyes. "Well, in any case, I'm going to hurry upstairs. Are you just going to stay down here?" Alfred nodded, rubbing his temples.

"Yea, I think I'm going to lay down on the couch. Wake me up when you get back down here."

"Alright." Matthew agreed. "Later."

One hour later, Alfred stood by the lakeside, donned in a navy blue shirt and jeans, his new bomber jacket clutched tightly around him, and the scarf his mother had sent him wrapped tightly around his neck. The sky was clear, the air crisp and cold, as a wind buffeted against the hoards of freezing students who stood gathered around a man on a podium.

"Welcome students," their headmaster boomed, "to the second challenge of the year. As many of you may have figured out, and many may not have, the challenge is a friendly game of capture the flag." The group erupted into cheers. Alfred glanced at Elizaveta, who was smiling proudly a little way's over, as Francis and Antonio praised her for her forethought. Even Gilbert was smiling a little at the announcement, despite his insistence that capture the flag was a boring child's game. Alfred let out a 'whoop' of enthusiasm, the noise mixing in with the chanting of the other students. He was freezing, shaking down to his boots, but his blood rushed with excitement and adrenaline.

"The rules of this game are fairly simple. The object is to take an opponents flag, and return back to the school without having your own flag taken. Throughout the expanse of the forest, we have set up flagpoles, flying the crest of the team it belongs to. It is the job of each team, to protect their flag, as well as take the flag of another team. Each team has an approximately one-mile radius from one flag to the next. You are allowed five bags total, as well as a tent, and whatever you can carry not in a backpack."

"Also, we will be supplying flares to each team. When and if you are able to take another teams flag, you are required to set off the flare to let the other teams know that a flag has been captured. However, you are not safe until your entire team is at the entrance of the school, and you have the flag in hand." The headmaster paused, pulling his scarf more closely around his chin. "One last thing. You are not allowed to remove your team's flag from the flagpole and put it, for example, in a tree. It must remain there at all times, unless stolen by another team. Failure to follow these rules will result in automatic disqualification. Are we understood?"

A communal 'yes' echoed across the students. "Excellent." The headmaster nodded. "Then go, you all have half an hour to be back down here with your things and team mates for the start of the challenge. You will be given a GPS tracker in order to find your flag. If you come across a flagpole on your way in, you are not allowed to take it unless you yourself have already set down camp, and the team who's flag it belongs to is already there. The challenge will end tomorrow at six in the evening. Good luck, to all of you." And with a wave of his hand, he sent them off.

"We only have half an hour!" Ludwig yelled over the noise of the other conversing teams. "Everyone hurry back and find the largest backpacks we have. Gather essentials first, and then we will focus on more remedial things. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" Feliciano saluted, giving the boy a lopsided grin. Ludwig nodded.

"Alright then. Is everybody ready?"

The team let out an uproarious cheer, and Alfred pumped his fist into the air. Ludwig smiled approvingly.

"Good. Now let's go. We have a competition to win."

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N:** It has begun, finally! XD

HISTORY TIME! :D

Ok, so regarding Alfred's explanation: "well he loves his kid no matter what, and is always watching over them" This DOES have historical um... what's the word... well never mind it's tied to essentially the long period of time where Britain essentially ignored the colonies, prior to the rule of I believe Charles the II *is to lazy to check her APUSH notes* seriously, they really didn't give a crap about anything they did. That of course, changed after the French and Indian war, an event most historians actually admit as the true beginning of America, not the signing of the declaration of independence. This was really the first time America was like "He I can take care of myself, fuck yes!"

Of course, after the war, Britain began watching the colonists more closely, and that's when they started to get angry, because, despite how they're relationship is portrayed in the fandom, America LIKED being left alone by Britain. It let him smuggle with Spain and France freely, and he raked in a lot more money when Britain wasn't on his tail. This time of salutary neglect has always made me question the people who insist their like a father and son, because no good father would ignore their child for that long, and no kid would be OK with that. Brothers, on the other hand is a little different. Kind of always there, but not breathing down your neck, like Britain was, at least until after the war. There's also the grudge to take into consideration...

NOW. The adopted brothers thing. I'm one of those people who really can't see America and England as actually being directly related, for personal and historical reasons. First off, although Britain may have been the first country to set real roots down in America, France and Spain also had control over large portions of the unexplored country, and the spanish had been there long before Britain had. So in that case, wouldn't France and Spain be his brothers too? Well, of course they're not. There's also my own theory that America and Canada are actually related to Denmark and Norway, but we're going to ignore that for now... XP ( I mean seriously, does America honestly look a thing like Britain?Xd) As far as history goes, people forget a lot of the time, that it wasn't just the English that inhabited the colonies. The dutch, the Germans, the Irish, and numerous other people of from all spans of europe lived there, including African Americans, Asians, and the the Native Americans.

The colonies were THE most diverse speck of land in the world. And then you look and Britian, and it's the English, the Scottish, the Welsch, etc. There was no diversity, not just there, but in all the countries of europe. My thinking, is that because he had all these other roots, it's impossible for America to be directly related to Britian. Again, making them more brothers. There's also the fact (leaving history for a moment) that America CHOOSE Britain in the anime, to be his brother. That doesn't mean they're related, it means a boy found another little boy on the street and took him home for the family to take care of, and began calling him brother. Adopted brothers, in a sense. Not blood related, not connected by parents, etc.

Ok, so that's my rant... sorry I wanted to explain it, plus my APUSH teacher was describing America and England as a mother and a daughter this past week and I just kept wanting to jump out of my seat and be like "NO." XD

Phew, well I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! :D See you soon!


	24. Swords and Strategies

**A/N**: Excuse me while I beg for forgiveness from all of you. If it means anything at all, this was my longest chapter EVER and by a good... 5,000 words I think :) Phew, well, anyway, I FINALLY FINISHED this behemoth of a chapter, an boy am I glad ^^ I'm going to have to start the next one tonight... Anyway! My life has just been a mess of things lately. October is a horrible month for me as far as time to do things goes, and I'm due for my part of the hetalia group I'm part of on youtube this coming weekend so i'm frantically trying to finish that XD I wouldn't expect a chapter next week, just as a warning ^^' I'm also still working on _A Dangerous Attraction_, to any here who read that, so don't worry that hasn't dropped off the edge of the earth either :P

Well, I have to go my borthers Baseball game, and I'm tired so, here you go! THANK YOU for all of your continued support and reviews TT^TT I love you guy's 3

Not betaed... go figure lol. Please excuse mistakes, and correct as you please :)

Onward! :D

O ~ O ~ O

"Everyone, move quickly!" Ludwig hollered over the commotion of the house. "We haven't much time to waste. We're running out of space in the bags, so bring only what's necessary!"

"Will someone help me pack food?" Antonio begged.

"I'll help." Arthur offered immediately. "I'm already done packing my things." Antonio smiled gratefully at him and handed him a plastic container.

"Gracias amigo. Can you put the fruit I cut up in there?"

The Briton nodded, carefully spooning in the sweet produce until the box was filled to the brim. "Will this keep?" He asked curiously. Antonio jerked his head lightly.

"Yes, it should. We'll only be gone for two days, and it's relatively cold so it should be fine."

"Arthur have you seen my boots?" Francis cried frantically, jumping out from behind him and startling the green-eyed boy.

"Why in God's name would I know where your boots are?" Arthur snapped irritably. "They're your boots!"

"Well then help me find them!" Francis insisted. "We only have a couple minutes until we're going!" Arthur rolled his eyes, snapping a lid on the container and glancing over at Antonio.

"Go ahead." The brunette urged, looking over a checklist he'd compiled. "I only have a few more to go."

"No, you're not going to finish if you try to do it alone." Arthur sighed loudly over the noise. "Francis, YOU stay with him and help. I'll find your bloody shoes." Francis beamed happily at him.

"Thank you Angle-"

"If you call me that, I'm going to rip every strand of hair off your head." Arthur growled, spinning around on his heel and storming away before the French boy could get a word in edgewise.

It had been like this since before they'd arrived back at the cabin, this tizzy of motion and yelling. He'd practically been pushed over as the throngs of students dashed eagerly back to their houses to prepare for the challenge. When the got back, it was all running and scrambling, desperately trying to stuff things into backpacks. It was lucky, Arthur thought, that they'd decided in the end to trust Elizaveta's intuition and plan for a game like this, as most of them already had things together, and a plan had already been devised, should things have turned out the way they predicted.

He let out a grunt as Lukas pushed roughly by him, running down the stairs with an armful of clothes. The other boy let out a halfhearted apology, and continued his way down the steps, not even bothering to give Arthur a fleeting glance. He scrunched his nose. Somehow, it felt like he was the only on not really getting into all this. He did understand how important it was of course, and he was excited, but didn't they know that causing a fuss about it would only put them at a disadvantage? He shook his head, pulling his union jack hoodie closer around his body and stepping into the second floor hallway.

"Do you think I should bring a blanket?" He heard Tino calling from he and Berwald's room.

"Ivan where is my scarf? I thought I put it in the pile with my clothes!" Yao inquired from the other end of the hall, digging through what appeared to be a pile of garments that were sitting outside their door. Arthur chuckled. Well, even if he wasn't as energetic as his teammates, he couldn't say it wasn't the least bit amusing, watching everyone run around.

"Now, Francis's boots…" He frowned, glancing at the door to he and Matthew's room. They were probably there and he hadn't looked hard enough. He stepped down the hall and towards the cracked door, ears heightening with interest as he heard voices slipping out of the room.

"You're really going to bring that?" Alfred asked loudly as he walked into the space.

"Sure, we're allowed to carry stuff aren't we?" Soren argued. "I might as-" He stopped short, eyes flitting over to where Arthur stood in the doorway. The Dane starred at him silently for only a moment before breaking out into a wide grin. "Hey Arthur, you need something from Matt?" The blonde inquired, pushing himself off of Matthew's neatly made bed and rumpling the sheets.

"Did someone say my name?" Matthew chirped, popping out from a space beside the dresser, a pair of all to familiar looking boots in hand.

"Ah, I was just looking for Francis's shoes." Arthur explained awkwardly, glancing up at the ceiling. He wouldn't say it was weird per say, but being around Alfred since the other day when he'd foolishly told him that story was becoming increasingly uncomfortable for the Briton, and every passing second he felt the boy's curious azure eyes boring into his form was another second he wished he could take it back. It was like telling him about his family in the first place. He didn't know what compelled him to say anything he just felt like he had to.

"Oh, these right here then?" Matthew laughed, stepping away from the dresser and extending them to him. "Yea I heard him going on about how he couldn't find them and I'd remembered them being here so I thought I'd give it a look."

"Oh." Arthur responded, slightly startled at the boys actions. It had been clear to everyone the past week that Matthew was avoiding Francis. You would have to be an idiot not to see it. Of course even if Arthur hadn't noticed, Francis had come to him every day blabbering about it, so it was impossible for him not to know about it. But knowing that, why would the Canadian go out of the way to find his shoes? The boy hadn't even slept in his own bed the last couple day, much less gone around anything having to do with Francis if he could help it. Arthur wondered silently what had spurred the sudden change in attitude.

"Well, are you going to just stand there or are you going to take them?" Alfred's irritable voice cut into his thoughts. Arthur snorted, snatching the boots away from Matthew.

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Then actually do something." Alfred replied pushing himself off of Francis's bed. "Don't just stand there looking stupid."

Arthur's face flushed with heat and he scowled at the American. "You're the stupid one, you-"

"Guy's knock it off." Soren cut in. "I mean beat each other up on your own time, that's cool with me, but we were kind of in the middle of a conversation."

"Oh yea!" Alfred exclaimed, all traces of annoyance vanishing from his face. "Anyway, Soren, are you really going to bring that thing?" He asked skeptically, turning back towards his friend. Soren nodded, holding up what, to Arthur's surprise, appeared to be a wooden sword, like one's children played with, except bigger. Arthur felt a rush of nostalgia wash over him as he eyed the dull weapon thoughtfully.

"Yea. I mean, I'm taking a sparring class right? There isn't any rule that I can't use the tools it gave me to my advantage. I've got another one, if you want it." Soren grinned enthusiastically. Alfred held up his hands and shook his head, declining the Dane's offer.

"No that's OK. I'd probably take my own eye out." Alfred admitted, running his hand across the back of his neck.

"Um," Arthur began hesitantly, glancing between the two. "If the offer still stands, I'll take that other sword. If you're giving it out."

Soren quirked his head curiously, and Arthur watched as he and Alfred shared a glance. "You know how to use a sword?" Arthur nodded.

"Yes. I learned swordplay when I was younger. Uh just for fun." He finished quickly, fumbling with the strings on his hood. It wasn't a lie. Well, not a total lie anyway. "It's been a while since I've used one, but if you have an extra one, I don't see any harm in putting it to good use."

Soren nodded thoughtfully. "Hm, well if you know how to use it, go for it dude." He laughed. "I'll grab my spare from my room. How much time do we have left."

"Not much." Arthur responded dryly. "We better hurry down, or Ludwig is going to blow a gasket."

"On it." Soren leaped off the bed, sneakers squeaking in protest against the hardwood floor as he landed. "I'll meet ya down stairs. See you in a few you two. Oh and uh," He flicked his head to Arthur in acknowledgement as he disappeared out the doorway. "You too, Arthur."

"Soooo…" Alfred trailed off awkwardly as his friend vanished from view. "Uh Matt are you ready?"

"Yup!" Matthew nodded assuringly. "We should head down stairs. Beside's Arthur, I'm sure Francis is still looking for his boots."

"Oh, oh right I have to get these down to him don't I?" Arthur agreed. He reached up to tug on the skin of his earlobe, but thought better of it when Alfred raised his eyebrows and sent him a knowing look.

"Yea, don't tell me you forgot?" Matthew laughed. "I'm going to go down now though, if you don't mind. See you in a couple minutes!" He promised. And without another word, the Canadian slipped out the door and out of sight. Well. Not awkward at all.

"Hey is there anyone else in here?" Romano poked his head into the room suddenly, startling Arthur. "I just say Matthew go down the hall."

"Yea, We were just on our way down." Alfred informed him, slipping something into his back pocket and giving him a nod. "Are they all set down there?"

"For the most part. The kraut bastard is just trying to get everyone together." Romano muttered sourly. "I don't know who put HIM in charge though."

"He's just trying to help." Alfred offered, walking past Arthur and toward the door. "It's just how he is I guess."

"Yea well I wish he would knock it off." Romano growled. "Him and his stupid to big muscles and that stupid accent and always hanging around my brother! It makes me sick!"

"Why don't you like him hanging out with Ludwig and Kiku?" Arthur asked, pushing his way into the hall.

"It's not Kiku, just that stupid German bastard." Romano snarled. "He needs to bug off. Feli doesn't need to hang around someone like that!"

"You don't like Germans, do you?" Alfred mused.

"No I do not!" Romano fumed storming down the hall. Arthur and Alfred exchanged an awkward glance and dashed after him down the now empty corridor.

"But why?" Alfred pressed. "Is there a reason? I mean you can't just, ya know, hate Germans."

Romano stopped abruptly in front of the stairs, threatening to send Arthur tumbling into him as he tried to slow behind the boy.

"It's… complicated." Romano replied quietly. Arthur raised his eyebrows in surprise. Well that was a shock; he certainly hadn't been expecting a reply, much less an earnest one. "My brother, well he just doesn't need any more of those people, OK? And that's all you need to know."

"Yea. Got it." Alfred said softly, placing a gentle hand on the Italian's shoulder. For a moment, it seemed as if Romano would slap it away, but he simply let out a heavy sigh and shrugged it off, starting down the stairwell.

"He doesn't seem so great all of a sudden." Alfred whispered into Arthur's ear. He stiffened at the warm breath against his skin, but quickly brushed off the tingling and shoved the boy away.

"It's none of our business." He replied sternly. "Come now, let's hurry after him."

They bounded down the steps, Alfred hitting the splitting platform behind him with a thud as Arthur peered into the overstuffed living room at their teammates, Romano just making his way off the steps. With a few quick hops, they followed suit, entering the room and instantly attracting the attention of one speaking German.

"There you are!" Ludwig exclaimed. "We thought we would be waiting for ever! And where on earth is Soren, he's late too."

"Someone looking for me?" Soren called head appearing from around the corner where they'd come. "I'm all set. Sorry about that." Ludwig just shook his head and turned back to the silent group, all staring at him expectantly. Soren jumped quickly down the stairs in two, long strides and stood behind them, nudging Arthur on the shoulder as Ludwig began to speak again.

"Here, don't lose it." He mouthed quietly, leaning over to whisper in his ear and placing the wooden sword in Arthur's open palm. "It's got the sheath on it so you can- oof!" He wheezed, backing unsteadily away from him. "Al, what the heck that was my stomach!"

"Shut up, I'm trying to listen." Alfred replied tightly, keeping his narrowed orbs fixed intently on Ludwig and drawing that arm that had elbowed him companion in the stomach forward. Soren mumbled something incoherent under his breath, but other wise remained silent. Arthur glanced quickly at the American beside him, using his peripherals to get another look at the boy's face.

His eyes were still scrunched, but more in thought now, then annoyance. Usually a familiar cobalt hue, they now glowed an impossible shade of navy blue, although still rimmed with the usual golden ring. Now though, it appeared more like fire in Alfred's shining orbs, burning feircely against the depths of his ocean blue eyes. He looked dangerous, if Arthur had to put a word to it.

"Now, are we ready?" Ludwig's voice slipped its way into his thoughts, yanking Arthur's attention away from the blonde beside him, and to the blonde yelling from the front of the room.

"We have everything necessary. Well all that they will not supply us with." Roderich stated. The stuffy Austrian was, for once, adorned in something not related to dress pants and shoes. Instead, he wore a pair of faded jeans and what appeared to be a form of hiking boots. His upper half was layered with various sweaters, each one peaking out from the one atop it until ending with a forest green woolen vest, and a puffy blue jacket. Arthur fought back a laugh. It was the first time he'd ever seen Roderich look so much like a normal person. And although he admired him for his grace and proper attitude, it was nice to see the boy looking as mismatched as a normal person for once.

"Then let's go!" Gilbert exclaimed, pulling his glove clad hands out of the pockets of his onyx jacket and tugging on his red scarf. The group cheered in agreement, and in an instant, they were all heading towards the door. Well, all except fro Francis.

"There you are!" His friend cried, pushing through their teammates as they worked their way out of the cabin. "Thank goodness, I thought I was going to go shoeless."

"Oh yea that's right." Arthur blinked, holding up the shoes in the hand that wasn't holding the sword. "Sorry 'bout that."

"No problem." Francis rolled his eyes, slipping them over his feet. "Really, none at all."

"Oh shut up, you could have just done it yourself." Arthur replied sourly, shoving him. Francis laughed childishly and shrugged.

"Hey, are you two coming?" A voice called irritably from the door. The room was empty now, except for them, and the face that stood impatiently at the entryway.

"Yes yes, sorry about that." Francis assured Alfred, zipping his jacket. "We were just coming, weren't we Arthur?"

"Uh, yea." Arthur replied lamely, tugging at the second of one of his numerous shirt layers. "Yea we were. Ah!" He yelled, startled at the sudden warmth around his hand as Francis yanked him forward.

"Honestly, you're so slow sometimes, Mr. genius." Francis chided, dragging him towards the door. "If we're going don't just stand there."

"I know that!" Arthur muttered, struggling to free himself from Francis's grip as they passed Alfred and stepped into the blustery autumn wind. The door slammed behind them as thy got through, and the American stepped roughly by them, jogging down the steps in order to catch up with their already quickly descending team mates.

"What's put him in such a bad mood?" Francis chuckled, finally allowing Arthur to rip his hand away.

"Got me." Arthur grumbled. "He's always mad, isn't he? "

"No, that's just how you see him Arthur."

"Oh sod off. By the way," He began as they started after the rest of them, "did Matthew, you know, talk to you when he got down?" Francis raised his eyebrows skeptically.

"Mathieu? Talk to me? No, most certainly not." Francis frowned, shaking his head. "Honestly, what gave you an idea like that?" Arthur cocked his head in surprise, fidgeting with the sword in his hand.

"Well I mean it's just he seemed, different?" Arthur offered lamely. "After all he's the one who found your shoes for you, not me. He'd heard they were missing so he went looking for them."

Francis quirked a blonde eyebrow, shaking his head. "I don't understand that boy." He sighed, tugging at his tied back hair. "One minute he's treating me like the devil, the next he's acting all cute and embarrassed. Honestly, does he want to be around me or not?"

"I think what you're curious is whether he WANTS you or not, isn't it?" Arthur scoffed, unconsciously zipping up his jacket as the wind kicked up. Francis shrugged, hopping off the final step of the stairs before Arthur and running his tongue across his chapped lips.

"Perhaps. Either way, I'm getting tired of waiting. If at any time he and I are alone during this little game, you can be sure I'm not just going to sit back and let things be."

"Don't screw things up, bloody frog." Arthur rolled his eyes, shoving his friend stumbling into a pile of golden oak leaves. Francis chuckled fondly, catching himself against a tree.

"Yes, yes. I can take care of myself. And I could say the same for you." Arthur narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"The hell is that supposed to mean, you tosser?"

"Hey!" A voice called angrily from behind them, catching Arthur's attention. Ludwig stood just down the path, bag hefted over his shoulder and steam puffing from his open mouth as he glared disapprovingly at them. "Hurry up you two, we only have a few more minutes to get down there, and you're getting left behind!"

"Sorry." Arthur apologized earnestly. "Come on, Francis. We had better go." With a brief nod, the French boy pushed himself off the tree and jogged past him, leaving Arthur to follow he and Ludwig through the forest and back towards their waiting teammates.

O ~ O ~ O

Alfred hugged his scarf closer to his mouth, squinting his eyes against the wind, and the light drops of rain that fell through the tops of the trees. The meeting back down by the lakeside had been a quick affair. Each team was given a tracker to their flag, and provisions for sleeping (tents, sleeping bags, etc.), as well as an additional rule, as far as guarding the flags went. Any student who was captured in another's territory was to be brought back to their flag site, and had to be saved by their team mates before they were allowed their freedom. Being captured consisted of being tagged, of course. However as long as no one touched you, you could fight of being tagged anyway you choose.

They had found their flag in about an hour or so. It was tucked in a clearing at the bottom of a small hill, surrounded by dense forest where the team had begun set up their camp in an attempt for some sort of more efficient shelter. Alfred checked his watch, shivering in the cold. Nine in the morning. It felt like seven at night.

"Feliciano, can you give me a hand with this tent?" Romano yelled over the howling gale.

"We're never going to get these up!" Lukas spat furiously as he held one of the tents in place alongside Berwald and Tino. "It's to damn windy!"

"We have to try." Soren persisted, covering his eyes.

"We can't fight this." Ivan agreed. "It's no good, the wind's just going to keep blowing everything down. Even in the trees, we have little protection."

Alfred bit his lip, catching one of the poles as it threatened to fall. It did seem impossible to combat. But maybe… He narrowed his eyes, glancing up at his comrades and searching desperately for two people. Elizaveta and Yao. Their longer hair flew in front of their faces, whipping in tangled strands in front of their eyes. His gaze shifted behind him, eyeing the flag in the clearing. The wind was coming at them through the clearing. From the look of it, heading only slightly northwest and hitting them at almost a head on angle, but not quite.

"Hey guy's, I think I have an idea!" He called over the noise. "We've got blankets, don't we?"

"Yes, we do, but what good are those going to do us?" Roderich retorted.

"Where are they?" He asked immediately. "And the rope, I know we brought some."

"What does it ma-"

"It's in the black bag!" Gilbert cut into Roderich's protest, burgundy eyes alight knowingly. "Third pocket. The blankets are in the green pack, first pocket. You should need three, right?" Alfred nodded gratefully, letting go of his hold on the fluttering tent to delve into the backpacks.

"What in God's name are you doing?" Arthur shouted.

"Stopping the wind!" Alfred replied fiercely, pulling out the rope strands. Gilbert too had abandoned his spot beside the tents, and was searching through the bag with the blankets. In a swift movement, he yanked out three of them, thick and woolen.

"This should do it, right?" He confirmed, lowering his crimson scarf and revealing his mouth so as to speak more clearly. Alfred nodded, grabbing hold of the blankets.

"Perfect."

"Oh!" Kiku exclaimed suddenly. "Gilbert-san, Alfred-san that is genius!" Alfred felt a small spark of pride blossom in his chest.

"What is?" Romano interjected. "What's going on?"

"They're going to stop the wind with the blankets." Kiku explained loudly over the noise. "If one can string them tight enough between two trees, the tension should be enough to keep the wind from blowing into us, at least as violently. Since the wind is coming from the clearing, the best move is to cover as much area between the trees around us, like a wall of sorts."

"But will they hold?" Romano protested.

"If they're tied correctly." Gilbert confirmed. "Don't worry, I'm pretty good with knots, believe it or not." He chuckled at his own joke. "But we're going to need some more hands over here. Preferably strong ones."

"I'll help!" Antonio offered immediately.

"As will I." Ludwig agreed.

Ivan nodded, grabbing a corner of the blanket from Alfred's grasp.

To his surprise, Arthur also joined them, taking part of Gilbert's blankets and fixing Alfred with an annoyed glare. Alfred looked away, tightening his hold on the cloth.

"OK, we'll hold it up, and Gil you tie the knot." Antonio instructed, uncharacteristically. It was strange, hearing orders leave the peppy Spaniards mouth.

"Right." The all agreed.

"Are you sure this will work?" Elizaveta cautioned. "If it doesn't, we might tear the blankets, or they'll get carried away."

Gilbert flashed her a confident grin, eyes brimming with assurance. "If I think it will work, it will. After all, everything I do is awesome." Elizaveta shook her head; chestnut hair swirling in front of her eyes and obscuring them until she brushed them away, tucking the tugging strands behind her ear.

"You and your ego." She muttered, annoyance lacing her voice.

"Are you ready?" Ludwig called, pulling the albino's attention back to them. Gilbert turned and flicked his head.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Good. All right, Antonio and I will hold ours up. Alfred, Ivan you take Gilbert's while he's tying. On the count of three." He warned. He and Antonio inched closer to the edge of the forest, pulling the blanked tight between two trees, but still holding it at their waists.

"One. Two. Three!" He yelled as the raised the cloth. Gilbert wasted no time, grabbing a corner of the material and tying a fast knot around it in such a rapid, fluid motion that Alfred couldn't believe it was even tied tightly. As soon as he finished, he fastened the rope around the tree, and finished off that corner. The rest of the process went, well, something like that first knot. Once or twice the blankets threatened to get away from them, but by some miracle, they never did. At last, they had finished, fort securely guarded from the gale. At least for the time being.

"I can't believe it worked." Arthur coughed, slumping against a tree and falling to the grass.

"It might become a problem if they get to wet, but I don't think so. The only problem is that we can't see the flag. But I figure if we're sitting around camp then we're not focusing on guarding the flag anyway." Alfred stated, wiping his hands on his jeans.

"Well," Ludwig breathed. "Now that that is through, we should discuss how we're going to go about this. The game has begun, after all."

"Let's stick with our original plan." Yao insisted. "The pairs we picked to stay will stay, and others go out in search of flags."

"That's all well and fine." Ludwig broke in. "But seeing as things actually turned out how we predicted… I'd like to rearrange my brother and mine's teams." Hushed murmuring broke out amongst the group, and Alfred watched as Feliciano's eyes piqued with interest. "Roderich, you stay here with Feliciano. Gilbert and I will go out together." The blonde German ordered, sliding his pale blue gaze over to his elder brother.

"What?" Feliciano yelped. "But I want to go with you! Why do I have to stay? I thought we agreed to go out on a search team together! That we would stay as a pair!"

"Well… we did." Ludwig agreed awkwardly. "And that will hold true for everyone else, I promise. But the two of us will be more useful on our own."

"No." Feliciano insisted stubbornly. "I'm not staying behind, I'm going with you."

Ludwig furrowed his brow and let out a heavy sigh. "Feliciano, it's just not going to work. Just listen to me and-"

"West, just stay with him." Gilbert interrupted, addressing Ludwig with the peculiar nickname he had adorned him with. All eyes flit over to the elder brother, jaw tense and eyes buzzing with authoritative energy. "Look, we need more people guarding camp right? I know you two were part of the original idea, but I can do that much on my own, as long as Roderich stays behind." His gaze softened, and the German boy cocked his head, an unspoken message passing between he and his brother.

"I know what you're trying to do." He said quietly. "But don't. It'll be fine. Just have some faith in me, OK?"

Gilbert's solemn expression faded quickly, switching back to his more familiar smirk. Ludwig faltered, and he opened his mouth as if to speak, before closing it again.

"Very well." He agreed. "I will stay back at camp and guard the camp with Feliciano."

"That's all well and good, but why do I have to stay?" Roderich snorted. "We're just letting the big shot have his moment in the sun? Well I can be just as much help, I assure you."

"No doubt there, pretty boy." Gilbert snickered. "But this is a professionals job."

"What on earth does that-"

"Roderich." Ludwig interrupted, holding out his hand to silence the boy. "Just go with it. I promise we are not belittling you. My brother just works better on his own. And it would be best for the team that he be given the freedom to complete his part as such." Roderich muttered something incoherent in response, but was otherwise silent.

"Now that that's through." Alfred stepped in, feeling oddly put out by the strange conversation, "Let's remind ourselves who's staying and going." He stuck his pointer finger out, tapping it lightly with the one on his left hand in a silent count off.

"As of a change, Feliciano and Ludwig are now staying. Berwald and Tino, Ivan and Yao, Soren and Lukas, and Francis and Matty are staying behind. Oh, and Roderich." He cast a quick glance at the perturbed brunette, and continued his list.

"On search, we have Gilbert, Kiku and Elizaveta, Antonio and Romano, and uh well me and Arthur." He finished awkwardly, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Any questions?"

"None." Lukas replied simply. "Other then when are we going to get started?"

"Right now!" Soren announced, pulling out the wooden sword that he'd kept fastened around his belt. "You guy's should head out immediately. If you can't take any flags, come back at sundown."

"And if we find one?" Arthur inquired, twirling his own sword in his hand dangerously. Gilbert chuckled.

"Tonio and I thought of that. Hold on a second." The albino knelt to the ground and began rooting through the pockets of one of the packs, and pulling out what appeared to be several crude form of walkie-talkie. "We made them during our free period." He explained, handing them out to the search teams. Alfred flipped his own over curiously in his hand.

"I'm not good with electronics myself, but Tony's great at 'em."

"Not that great." Antonio admitted humbly.

"And I'm not bad at finding parts for things, if you catch my drift." Gilbert continued. "We were just going to use them to mess with people, but we figured that this would be a better use for them. They're all already tuned in to a frequency, all you have to do is turn them on and we have ourselves wireless connection, so to speak. Of course, we only have so many, so I figured I'll leave one with you guys who are staying and we'll take the rest."

"How did you make these?" Kiku marveled, playing with the volume dial.

"Well, we don't waste our free period, contrary to popular belief." Gilbert shot a look at Roderich who pointedly ignored him. "It didn't take to long once we had the parts. Anyway, when any of us finds a flag, radio the others and we'll come find you."

"With what compass?" Romano snapped. "I admit these are… impressive, but if we don't know where we are how are we supposed to find each other? We only have one GPS, and that was only useful in finding our flag."

"Ah, see we thought that through too." Gilbert grinned. "Here, take a look at these." Delving back into the pack, he pulled out several small cloth bags, tied with string and tossed them to each of them.

"This was kind of last minute thing, and I'm not going to tell you what it is, but I'll tell you, when they gave us the flare I broke it and poured the contents into what was in these bags. When you call us and tell us you've found one, light this thing and we'll know exactly where you are, because the reaction will be red."

"Genius." Lukas muttered skeptically. "But since you BROKE the flare, how do you propose you shoot it off into the air?"

"Oh don't worry, you just have to light it on fire. We'll all be able to see it, no matter where anyone sets one off. Trust me." Gilbert snickered. "By the way, when you throw the match on it, run. Like hell. And unless you want to get disqualified for seriously hurting someone, I'd make sure there's nobody else close by."

"Lovely, just lovely. Ludwig, why didn't you inform is that your brother was a pyro?" Lukas grit his teeth.

"Pyro is a harsh word." Gilbert cackled, tossing one of the sacks directly into Romano's chest and leaving him to fumble with it. "But an accurate one. Now, all of you make sure to keep your matches dry in case it starts raining. And don't get the powder wet either, or it won't work, verhest?"

"Thanks mom, we won't." Romano rolled his eyes, scrunching his nose into a sour expression. "So let's see if I've got this straight. We go out look for a flag. If we find one, go out a ways from it and radio the rest of you. After we radio you, we light this thing on fire, and you should all be there in a matter of minutes to help us? But what if you're far away? Are you remembering how giant the radius for this thing? It could take us twenty minutes to get to a location!"

"Take that risk." Ludwig advised. "Working in teams is a safety precaution, yes, but if two of you go in alone, it's unlikely that you'll be able to capture the flag on your own, considering getting past guards, and the fact that you'd still have to get it. "

"We'll all go in the same direction, respectively." Kiku assured him. "That way we won't be to far from one another."

"See?" Gilbert grinned. "It's all thought out."

"Well… if you say so." Romano agreed begrudgingly.

"Right." Alfred nodded. "Let's go then."

As promised, they marched up to the top the clearing, fighting the wind every step of the way. Alfred clutched the bag of powder tightly in his jacket pockets in an attempt to keep it from flying out.

"When we get the flag, we'll radio you back!" Gilbert yelled down to the rest of the team. "You guy's are in charge of protecting this thing, so good luck!"

"You too!" Ludwig called back. Alfred thought he saw worry flash through Ludwig's mist blue eyes, but he shook off the suspicion as the blonde turned his back and with a last wave, retreated with the others back into the confines of their campsite.

O ~ O ~ O

"I'm telling you, we're going to far east." Arthur snapped, shoving Alfred lightly as they stumbled through a maze of weaving tree roots.

"We are not, we're going straight, just like we have been for the past half an hour!" Alfred protested. "See, I'll prove it!" Pausing, he slumped against a tree and slipped his hand into his pants pocket, clumsily pulling out a golden, shimmering object and clicking it open. He'd nearly forgotten that he'd packed his old compass until just earlier that day when Alfred had been digging through his bags, and discovered it hiding at the bottom. He'd stuck it in his pocket before they left, and he was glad to say he wasn't regretting the decision now.

"Is that a compass?" Arthur asked incredulously as Alfred watched the arrow spin around lazily. He nodded, waiting patiently for the line to stop. It froze suddenly, and he smiled. They were going just barely due northwest, exactly the direction they'd been heading since camp.

"See, I told you, we're right on course." He sighed, flipping it closed and sliding the brass instrument back into his pocket. "Seriously, I think you just like to argue with me."

"You don't say." Arthur grumbled, pulling the hood of his jacket over his head and stomping away. Alfred snickered and in a few quick strides, was back along side him, walking in step with the sour Briton.

"I'm surprise we haven't run into anyone yet." He mused aloud, running his hand through his mist dampened hair. The wind had died down, for the most part, and now a thin mist covered the forest, accompanied by the occasional raindrop. Arthur shrugged and touched the handle of his wooden sword lightly.

"Guess everyone else is still working things out. I wonder how the others are managing."

"Well if they'd found anything, they would have radioed us." Alfred pointed out. "For now, all we can do is keep going and hope we don't find anyone else. We're far out of our own territory by now, I'm sure."

Arthur shrugged dismissively under his coat, continuing forward in silence. Alfred bit his lip, an odd sort of churning agitating his stomach. Why was Arthur being so quiet? At this point, wouldn't he usually be yelling at him to shut up, or something?

"Hey uh, Arthur?" He began tentatively. No use jumping in the water all at once, it was safer to go one toe at a time. "Are you OK?" The Briton stiffened, faltering slightly in his step before picking up his steady rhythm and continuing forward.

"Is that really for you to ask? When just a few hours ago you were all stiff and angry around me?" Alfred stopped in his tracks, honestly bewildered. What did he mean by that? I haven't been acting weird at all! He thought inwardly. He's the one who's been acting strange!

"What the heck is that suppose to mean?" He asked defensively, running in front of Arthur and stopping him. "I've been fine, you're being weird."

"Then why did you elbow Soren during Ludwig's talk back in the cabin?" Arthur growled. And then when Francis and I were walking out the door, you were practically glaring daggers at us! How come? Are you just in a bad mood or something?"

Alfred blinked slowly at him, trying to recall the events he'd described. He and Francis had been taking ages; he couldn't blame him for being frustrated about that! And the Soren thing… he grimaced. He didn't know WHY he'd done that, to be perfectly honest. I just remembered suddenly being agitated with his friend and wanting to elbow him, so he had. Looking back, it seemed silly, really. Maybe he was just tired.

"No. I… I guess I'm just not feeling good or something." He confessed half-heartedly. "I didn't realize I was being such an ass. Sorry man." Arthur head shot up, jade eyes peering curiously at him from under his hood.

"Did you just apologize?"

"Well… yea." Alfred chuckled. "I guess I did. Weird huh? Guess I'm really not feeling good. But uh… are you better now? I mean, I'm not mad at you or anything I promise, so don't, don't act all strange like you were a minute ago." Arthur snorted, shoving his chest lightly.

"Moron, why would I get upset over you? I guess I'm just pissed at the weather. Or something. Anyway, forget I said anything."

"Stupid, I'm not gonna do that." Alfred chided, tugging his hood off his head playfully. Arthur scowled up at him, furiously trying mat down his mussed up hair as Alfred laughed teasingly at him. He looked like a little kid like that. "If any thing's wrong, just tell me, cause I'm a hero and it's my job to listen, OK?"

"Oh shut up." Arthur groused, a small smile playing on his lips. "Since when do you care anyway?"

"Good question." Alfred laughed, asking himself more then Arthur. "Oh." He gasped in surprise, screwing up his eyes as a cold wet drop landed dead on the tip of his nose. "Hey is it just me, or is it starting to rain harder?"

"For once, you're right." Arthur agreed, holding out his hands. "It's picked up a bit. Do you want to stop and find somewhere to hide?"

"Nah, its just water." Alfred decided. Arthur cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Sure, but what about the pouch? And don't forget we have matches to keep dry as well."

"Oh yea…" Alfred grimaced, feeling for the sack in his coat pocket. "I suppose your right. Guess we should find a thick crop of trees or something."

"Agreed." Arthur nodded, peering through the forest. "How about up there? There are some pretty low hanging branches that way."

"Looks good." Alfred shivered, pulling his jacket more tightly around him as the rain began to pour down around them "Let's hurry."

"Don't lose your glasses again." Arthur snickered, dashing ahead of him toward the sheltered spot. Alfred frowned and stuck out his tongue in an unnoticed and silent retort, and quickly followed after him.

In a matter of minutes, the pair was huddled beneath the trees, sheltered lightly, from the sheets of precipitation that poured down around them. It was lucky, Alfred decided, that fall had only just started. The ground was littered with dead leaves, but there were still plenty of trees that were exploding with life, and for that he was thankful.

"Man, I miss sunlight." Alfred whined, rubbing his arms. "And summer."

"How long have you lived in England exactly?" Arthur chuckled. "It doesn't get any better lad."

Alfred wrinkled his nose at the comment (particularly being referred to as if he were a child.) "Yea I know that, it's just, a guy can hope right?" Arthur rolled his eyes, shifting against the tree opposite him and said nothing. Alfred fiddled awkwardly with his fingers. The quiet now wasn't as stifling now as it had been several minutes earlier, but it was still unwanted. Even if it was just amble chatter, he really wanted to talk to Arthur.

Which felt… odd.

"So…" He trailed off, staring up through the leaves. "Ever played never have I ever?"

"No, I don't believe I have." He responded, looking oddly bemused at the question. "What is it?'

"Uh, a game." Alfred explained. "We hold up ten fingers, and take turns saying 'never have I ever done blank.' If you've done it, you put a finger down. The person who puts down all their fingers first loses. Although, I guess depending on who you're playing with, that person would be the winner… anyway do you want to play?" Arthur shrugged and held up his hands.

"I've got nothing better to do."

"Great!" Alfred exclaimed, far more loudly then he should have. Man I must be really bored if I'm getting excited over such a stupid thing as this. He reasoned quietly to himself. "OK I'll go first. And the point is to try to think of things you think the other has done that you haven't to try to get them to put fingers down. Alright alright…" He babbled, putting his fingers up. "Never have I ever gotten in trouble at school."

He watched in amusement as Arthur grit his teeth and sourly put down one finger. "Yea, I figured." Alfred snickered. "What did you do?"

"Nothing." Arthur retorted, shifting his weight as the rain began to slip through the leaves. "I got blamed for something I didn't do and I was suspended."

Alfred cringed. "Ouch, sorry I asked."

"Doesn't matter. I'm here now aren't I? Is it my turn?"

"Oh, yea." He replied quickly, rubbing his foot against the wet grass. "Go ahead."

"Never have I ever…" Arthur trailed up, looking up through the branches of the tree thoughtfully. "Drank coffee."

"Hey." Alfred muttered, lowering a finger. "That's low."

"You said the point was to get the other person out."

"Yea but not like that! It's supposed to be, you know, interesting stuff!"

Arthur raised his eyes. "Then why don't you show me how it's done?"

"Fine I will!" Alfred huffed. "Never have I ever kissed anyone. There, see? That's more interesting."

A frown bloomed across Arthur's lips as he reluctantly lowered a finger. Alfred felt his breath hitch and he looked away. Oh, right. He had only used it as an example really, but he'd completely forgotten the level of the other boy's experience. It would figure that he'd kissed someone before.

"Are you sure you've never kissed anyone before?" Arthur asked suddenly, an oddly annoyed look set upon his face, as if something about the whole thing seemed unfair to him. Alfred blinked at him in disbelief.

"I'm pretty sure I'd know. It would be my… my uh first kiss."

"Oh." He furrowed his eyebrows and shrugged, seeming all the more put off. "Well, alright. Is it my turn then?"

"Yea." Alfred affirmed, glad to be away from the subject of kissing. "And uh, let's go back to the questions we were asking before, OK? Those were better."

"You think so?" Arthur responded sarcastically. "Alright, since we can both agree your judgment is flawed, I'll go back to tea and coffee type questions. So how about this." The Briton leaned over and propped his elbows on his knees, blinking at him through his bangs. "Never have I ever lived in a big city."

"Drat." Alfred grumbled, putting a finger down. Arthur's thick eyebrows arched in surprise.

"Oh? Where did you live?"

"New York city." Alfred replied, unable to keep the pride out of his voice. "We lived there until I was about eleven, and then we moved here. I started in middle school."

"New York." Arthur mused, "Not as fabulous as London I'm sure, but it's always sounded like an… interesting city."

"Greatest in the world." Alfred grinned. "My turn?" Arthur nodded.

"Never have I ever… ballroom danced?" He offered lamely.

"Yes you have you wanker." Arthur snapped. "Remember, for the Poe play in theatre?"

"That doesn't count!" Alfred protested. "It was for class, and it was with a guy! Besides, it wasn't in a ballroom so it doesn't-"

"Shut up." Arthur cut in tersely. Alfred scowled, crossing his arms.

"No I will not shut up, Mr. know it all. I'll talk as much as I want! La la la la-"

"Alfred!" Arthur hissed. "Be quiet, I hear voices."

He shut his mouth immediately, embarrassment creeping up to his cheeks. Well, what was he supposed to think? He watched as Arthur cocked his head from side to side, listening to the sounds that Alfred couldn't hear. Finally, he spoke up in a soft voice, "Do you still hear them?"

"Yes, but they're getting faint." Arthur breathed. "I think they're moving away."

"Do you hear that?"

The pair froze in horror as a new set of voices arose around them. And Alfred could guess that these weren't the one's Arthur was hearing. Because these were close; too close.

"Yea." Another voice, male by the sound, growled from beyond their sight. "Alright, we know you're there, come out."

Arthur's eyes pooled with panic, jaw clenched and green orbs flitting around as if he was trying to figure out where the other students were.

"Stop hiding, it's pointless." The first voice sneered. "You're on Script territory now, and we won't let anyone get away."

Alfred's mind reeled. They were near the Script houses camp? He gnawed at his bottom lip nervously. Did that mean they were going to have to run into Heracles? He'd seen the other boy in class of course, but after the discovery, it was a little strange being around him, for the glares and taunts of the other boy's teammates. Some how or another they'd figure out the two were friends and it seemed as if they'd forbade Heracles from talking to him. Alfred had tried to convince him to ignore them, but the brunette was resigned not to cause trouble and their relationship since then had been stiff, at best.

Frantic movements from Arthur pulled him out of his thought, as the sandy blonde motioned behind the tree he was leaned against and mouthed 'they're behind me.' Alfred cursed silently, glancing at the mass of bushes to the side of Arthur's tree. He couldn't see them, but if he sat there any longer, they were going to be able to see him. It was still pouring down rain, so it did dampen the visibility, if only a little, but certainly not enough to hide him. If he could just move a little…

Leaves crunched suddenly, and Alfred felt his heart drop into his stomach. Arthur had lost his balance, sitting precariously on the balls of his feet, and had tumbled over, hand falling into a small patch of fallen leaves.

"There. I think they're behind the tree's."

Alfred didn't even think. He scrambled forward toward Arthur, arms and legs flailing around in the air as he desperately attempted to hide himself. Before he knew it, he was eye to eye with the Briton, crouching oddly over him as they pressed their bodies closer to the tree.

"Stand up." Alfred whispered, ignoring the close proximity of their bodies. Arthur nodded, using his hands to push himself slowly up the tree. Alfred followed suit, rising with the other boy.

"Do you see them?" The second voice asked.

Alfred pushed himself closer to the tree unconsciously, only to be met by a hiss of protest as Arthur pressed a hand to his chest.

"Not so close."

"I can't help it, they'll see us!" He breathed. He shifted his hands against the bark, curling the fingers that were splayed beside Arthur's head. His eyes darted awkwardly around them, unsure of where to look, knowing if he slipped up he would be met with Arthur's jade eyes. It was already bad enough that he could feel the other boy's breathing against his mouth; he didn't need to be looking at him too.

"No. Hey, you go around the other side, slowly. I don't want them making a run for it."

I wish that were what we were doing. Alfred thought bitterly. He shifted his feet, knee brushing against Arthur's pant leg, ignoring the uncomfortable churning of his stomach. He could smell him. He smelled of parchment and ink, of sweet caramel and firewood. And snow. Somehow, he smelt of the soft, fuzzy flakes that fell from the sky at Christmas time. It was strangely intoxicating.

"Hey, don't doze off on me, we might have to fight back." Arthur whispered sharply, a puff of peppermint breath mingling with the rest of him.

"I know, I know." He replied, fixing his eyes on the boy's earrings as they glittered dangerously in the soft cartilage of his ear lobe. "If we can just stay-"

"Fane?" Arthur cut in a shocked murmur. Alfred's eyes stretched in surprise, and he turned his head over his shoulder, searching for the boy. It didn't take him long. He looked as if he had just slipped out of the bushes beside them. He tossed them a sly grin, crimson eyes alighting as he pressed a finger to his broad stretched mouth, and dashed out from the shelter of the tree's and into the rain. Alfred stared at him in bewilderment. What was he doing?

"HEY!" He yelled loudly, cupping his hands over his mouth. "Over here you bastards."

"There he is!"

Alfred flinched at the sound of leaves rustling just feet away from them as one of the boy's abandoned his spot. Fane inched further into the sheets of rain, continuing to spill taunting words as the pair of mysterious boys rounded the corner of the tree and chased after him. As his fading form slipped away, he caught a glimpse of the boy raising his middle finger, and then he and the Script members disappeared from sight, lost in the thick of water and forest.

Alfred let out a relieved sigh, falling to the ground weakly. He hadn't even realized how tense his muscles had been.

"That was close." He acknowledged. "Why the hell did he do that? Moron's going to get himself caught."

"We should be grateful, not doubting him. " Arthur interjected, still balanced against the tree. "If he hadn't shown up they would have found us for sure. We're just lucky they seemed to forget there were two of us."

"Thank goodness." Alfred muttered. "We really owe him, huh?" Arthur nodded in agreement.

"Come on, let's get out of here." He insisted, offering his hand. Alfred took it, slipping his fingers around the boy's pale wrist and rolling his eyes at the forceful squeeze the other boy applied in his grip. With a harsh yank, Arthur had pulled him to his feet, with only minor stumbling.

"Where are we going to go? We know we're in Script territory, but other then that we have no idea where their camp is." He wondered, brushing his jacket of and loosening his scarf.

"It doesn't matter." Arthur waved him off. "We just need to go. It's not safe here any more."

Alfred opened his mouth o respond, but was cut short by the sound of wood on wood beside his ear. He felt his blood run cold as the bushes behind him rustled, and Arthur's eyes flickered with mute panic and a flash of frustration. Alfred tensed his hand as the object set gently on his shoulder, cutting threateningly against his skin. Behind him, a deep voice rumbled, almost in amusement.

"Right you are." It laughed triumphantly. "Not safe indeed."

O ~ O ~ O

I'm not really sure when it happened. One minute, there we were sitting around the bottom of the hill, huddling in our jackets as the wind pelted us, and the next, we were running around in a flurry, Ludwig shouting orders as the battle cries of two separate teams mingled in the cold air.

"Damn it, you can't use sparring swords too! That was my idea!" Soren snarled from where he was dueling with a member of another house. The hazel haired boy smiled maliciously, dodging every blow that the Dane threw at him, and returning some of his own. The place was a mess, people running around, desperately trying to catch the taunting students of the Wrought house as they scrambled about the campsite.

They managed to catch three of them, two caught by Berwald (being the massive figure he was, he cut them off as they were making a break for the flag). The other was snatched, surprisingly, by Feliciano, who managed to catch hold of two of the boy's jackets. That left only two, the one fighting with Soren, and the other who was pressed against his back in defense.

"Give up." Soren hissed. "We've got you."

"We're not leaving without the flag. Or our team mates." The brunette snapped, blocking one of Soren's swings.

"Brent, we don't have a choice." The blonde behind him insisted. "We have to go."

"If we let you." Ivan chuckled. The boy's paled visibly, and with a particularly well aimed thrust, the boy named Brent managed to hit Soren in the gut, and the two made a run for it, disappearing over the hill and out of sight, spewing curses as they went.

"We're not letting them get away." Ludwig ordered. "I don't want them coming back with more people. Someone needs to go after them."

"We'll go." Francis offered immediately. My violet eyes widened in quiet surprise at his sudden desire to chase people through the woods. It wasn't like him in the least. Not that I knew all that much about him, really. Ludwig looked at me, stern, ice chipped gaze probing my reaction.

"Well, Matthew? Is that alright?"

I nodded hesitantly, wrapping my arms self-consciously around my stomach. Just relax, I thought. Its just Francis. It's OK. You're going to do exactly as Alfred told you and not let it bother you. I was honestly so tired of bringing down my teammates. I felt like such a burden to them; little Matthew who stutters and squeaks and can't do anything right. I couldn't add being afraid of Francis to that list as well.

"Let's go then." Francis ordered roughly, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me rapidly up the hill. "We're already losing them."

"Come back if you can't find them in ten minutes!" Ludwig yelled at us as we departed. I gave him a weak wave with me free hand, acknowledging that I had heard him speak, and then proceeded to return to my inner state. Flustered and burning nervously at the contact. I wasn't surprised he was being so brash, really. I had ignored him for a week, after all, and even I would be upset if someone did that to me. But what did he want me to say?

I don't know why I cut off Elise. She's really such a beautiful, sweet girl, and I think she and Francis would have been… lovely together, really! After all, they both spoke French, and despite her childish demeanor, she really was really high end, and Francis seemed to adore high end. I was… well the opposite of that, what with my grungy sneakers, old worn hoodie's, and the unattractive wave of my hair that made me look like I never brushed it. I looked like a child, and I knew I acted like one. The more I thought about it, the less I saw any reason for me to butt in like I did. It was so rude and immature of me, and I thank the heavens that she forgave me for my outburst when we saw each other later.

But, it was strange. Because when she told me that he had rejected her, I felt and odd sense of relief.

I tumbled awkwardly over a tree branch as Francis continued to drag me through the forest, jogging now, in search of the escapee's. My cheeks reddened as I realized how handsome he looked, even from the back.

His silky blonde hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, that swung freely as we ran, strands curling over one another as the wind swept them around. His shoulders had a pleasant slope to them, not as firm set as Soren's or Ludwig's, and his back, though strong, was not in the least bit too broad or overbearing. His free arm pumped at his side as we sprinted, and even through his many layers of clothing, I could make out the fine curvature of his pronounced shoulder blade. His legs, adorned in black denim, were long and lean, each step he took graceful and fluid like that of a dancer. Even his hand, wrapped around mine, was impossibly soft; his long, nimble fingers entwining with my own short and unrefined ones.

It was unfair, really.

He stopped abruptly, leaving me to fall ungracefully into the back I had just previously been admiring.

"Sorry!" I exclaimed quietly, pulling my hand from his quickly and stepping away as I rubbed the end of my red sweatshirt across my sore nose. We had stopped in a denser part of the woods on a downward slanting hill, thick with bushes and ivy. The wind had died down, if only a little, and dim, cloud filtered sunlight streamed in through the treetops, dappling the forest floor. I rubbed my hands together nervously, breathing out a puff of air. It really would have been lovely, if it weren't so cold.

I glanced around Francis awkwardly. "Um, do you see something? Why did we stop? I thought we were looking for them."

The French boy turned to me, his stunning sky blue eyes flickering with a strange, unfiltered emotion that I couldn't place. Today, his face was clean-shaven, showing off his flawless ivory skin. Some days he let his chin stubble; others he would shave it. Either look fit him to a 'T'. He tugged his cream colored scarf down away from his chin, mouth pulling down into a soft frown.

"I wanted to get further away from camp." He stated, rather matter-o-factly. "We need to talk, Mathieu."

My stomach clenched in unrestrained dread. I had figured something like this might happen. It was no surprise really. And yet, I found myself completely unprepared.

"T-talk?" I stammered, shifting awkwardly on my feet. "I'm not sure I know what you-"

"Mathieu." He interrupted harshly. "You know what I mean. And if you don't mind, I'm getting tired of waiting for an explanation."

I looked at the ground, fiddling with my fingers as I felt my face heat up. "I don't think I have one." I answered honestly. "I'm terribly sorry for causing you trouble though. If it means anything, I-I think you and Elise would have been a very sweet couple, and I'm sorry if I messed anything up for you."

I heard Francis let out a heavy sigh. "You don't get it at all, do you?" He muttered. I flinched. Stay strong. What would Alfred do? Come on, you're not a puddle of jello!

"Well you're not being very clear." I informed him, slipping as much edge into my voice as I could muster. "I mean, I-I don't understand what you're getting at. I'm sorry I can't tell you why I was acting strangely, really I am. But what else do you want from me? If there's something else you want to say or ask, then spit it out! I'm not a mind reader Francis!" I clenched my fists at my sides, shouting the words. It felt so strange, and I immediately wanted to apologize to him for being so rude, but I stood my ground.

I expected some sort of disapproving words or sound; I was sure he'd even walk away from me. Instead, he laughed, lightly and happily as if he were really amused. My blush only deepened.

"Don't laugh, it's true!" I cried, looking up at him despite the state of my face. "You don't make any sense!"

"Then what would you like from me, Mathieu, that would allow me to make more sense to you?" He inquired, a grin still flitting lightly along his mouth.

"I want to know what you're thinking." I requested quietly. He raised an eyebrow and let out a thoughtful sigh.

"Here I was trying to get answers out of you, and suddenly your the one asking questions." He chuckled wryly. His hands moved to grab mine, and I stiffened uncomfortably at warm touch of his fingers as they rubbed gently across my own sending a cold tremor down my spine. "If that is what you want, I will give it to you. I only ask that you hear me out."

I nodded slowly, lowering my eyes to the ground.

"Despite what that eye browed fool of a friend of mine told you," he began, "I am not straight, I'm bisexual. Very different. And on that note, I should mention that yes; the way I act around you should be considered flittering, because it is. You are very beautiful, ma chérie, although I don't think you realize it. Needless to say, I'm very interested in you, Mathieu. Not Elise. She is a charming girl, but nothing compared to you. I have never met someone who is so soft and kind, and yet has your kind of fire in them. It is intriguing, to say the least. If I must be honest, however, your sporadic attitude toward me these past near two months has been infuriating to say the least, and I do not know how much more I can take."

I winced at Francis' grip on my palms tightened. How was I supposed to take in this sort of thing? I had been the one to ask, but certainly that hadn't been the answer I had been expecting! I felt myself unconsciously step backwards, unsure of what to say.

"Mathieu, look at me." The French boy insisted quietly. "I told you the truth. And you promised to hear me out, did you not?"

I shook my head vigorously, weakly trying to pull my clammy hands out of his grip. He was interested in me? Me? The fact that I was a boy aside, I was the most uninteresting person on the planet. There wasn't a thing special about me, and I knew it. I pulled at my hands again, suppressing the beginnings of a pre cry gasp.

I knew how I was supposed to feel. Agitated. Bemused. Repulsed. Any of those would have been perfectly normal I supposed. I was straight, after all, and those were the sorts of reactions one would assume from someone who was.

But I didn't feel that way. As much as I tried to feel disgusted, to get angry with Francis, I couldn't bring myself to. At that moment, the only thing that welled in my stomach was the unmistakable golden tingle of hapiness.

And that, more then anything, terrified me.

"Mathieu." Francis' voice rang clear in my head, breaking through the fog that had wrapped itself in a haze around my senses. A raindrop plopped onto my scalp. Another brushed the side of my cheek. Or maybe it was a tear. I couldn't tell. His hands gently left my own, moving to caress the side of my face, wiping away the drop with his thumb. "Look at me."

Reluctantly, as if possessed by the hypnotic hush of Francis' voice, I raised my eyes to meet his own dazzling blue ones. They were barely two inches from my face, staring into mine. It occurred to me, all of a sudden, how close we'd become, and I let out a frightened squeak of surprise, feeling my face bloom pink. "Mathieu." He said again. His thumb brushed underneath my chin, raising my face closer to his own.

"Please do not hate me."

In a gentle, almost intelligible movement, the distance between us was closed, and a soft, comforting warmth enveloped my lips. A guttural noise of surprise sounded in the back of my throat, and I felt my face tingle almost painfully, the place where his hands touched my cheeks the most painful by far. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I barely had it in me to stand, legs quivering beneath me as they threatened to give out.

His mouth was sweet, tasting of crème, accompanied by the tang of fruit. If I remembered correctly, he'd made himself a crepe with strawberries that morning, and as his lips moved sensually over mine, his taste seemed to become mine; his scent my own, until I too smelt of warm cotton and mint, the mint courtesy of the shampoo he used.

It had surprised me when we first started rooming together, that Francis didn't wear cologne. He seemed to fit the type, after all, and I never had gotten around to asking him why. Perhaps this was why. Maybe he just naturally smelled wonderful. My mind protested feircely, urging me to push away from him. But I couldn't bring myself to. I just felt so _weak_. I was running out of air. My lungs were burning painfully, and I could feel myself shaking, but I couldn't do anything. Couldn't even raise a hand.

Until finally, he pulled away for an instant. Only long enough to whisper my name against my lips, before slipping his mouth back onto mine. But it was enough. And in a rough movement, I shoved my hands against his chest and stumbled backwards, hugging my arms around my core in attempt to quell my jittering. He just stared at me. Calmly. Curiously. As if waiting for an answer that I didn't have.

"I-I…" I whispered, taking a step back and looking away. "I'm sorry."

And for the second time in a week, I ran from him, sprinting through the forest as fast as my legs could carry me.

O ~ O ~ O

She hadn't meant to get separated from Kiku. It was an accident, a flaw in their plan, and now, one way or another, Elizaveta found herself alone in the middle of the woods, breathing hard from the exertion of running. They'd been wandering around quietly. Not looking for a campsite, not looking for anything really. Just being ready. After all, it was their job more then anyone else not to get caught. They had honestly thought that they had found a safe place to hide, and had been resting there, chatting idly while they waited out the rain. So when a pair of students crept up from behind them in an attempt to catch them off guard, it wasn't really any surprise that they went flying out of their hiding spot, and dashing off in different directions.

She had managed to lose her pursuer. She only hoped the Kiku had done the same. It was still raining. Pouring, in fact, and she frowned in annoyance as her just past shoulder length hair knotted, drenched from the water. Oh well, she thought, pulling her woolen, plaid green knee length coat around her. It was just hair after all. Right now, she needed to focus on finding a place to hunker down, at least until she could find Kiku. He had taken the radio, leaving her with no means of contacting him, or anyone else, and she felt herself at something of a loss on how she was going to manage without any form of communication.

Well… almost none. She pressed herself against a tree, sticking her hand into the contents of her soft brown pack and feeling for the bag of explosives that Gilbert had given them. Still there, safe and dry, as were the box of matches. She wrinkled her nose, pulling her hand out and rubbing it against her jacket. He was so outlandish and rude, that one. Uncultured, unrefined, like he'd never been taught manners, or he just didn't have the decency to follow through on them. She assumed the latter, considering Ludwig's polite and respectful demeanor.

Nothing like Roderich. She smiled wistfully to herself, fiddling with her hands. He was so proper. His face was elegant, his hair well treated, and the air he held about him gave him an aristocratic aura. Not like Gilbert. He gave one the feeling that he just crawled out from the bad side of town, and was proud of it. Not to mention he was useless at important things. Whereas Roderich… she could spend hours listening to him play piano. She had been overjoyed when he invited her to join him some days during lunch to eat in the music room where he could practice. Yes, Roderich was near perfect, there was no doubt about that.

Humming softly to herself, Elizaveta sat down on the grassy ground, crossing her jean clad legs and rocking back and forth as she stared up at the sky through the leaves.

Still, there was something missing about Roderich. Something, she felt was important. But she couldn't quiet put her finger on it.

"Elizaveta?"

She jumped from her spot on the ground, startled by the oddly familiar voice that called out to her. From the haze of the rain, she could make out the figure of an onyx haired boy. Her heart soared, thinking Kiku, but her hopes were crushed as she recalled the voice, and was met by two glimmering blue eyes.

"Abel." She blinked, pushing herself slowly to her feet and giving him a wary look. Was this his team's territory? As if sensing her discomfort, he gave her a dazzling, assuring smile and held out his hand.

"Don't worry, we're on the same side here. I think we're on Republic land though."

Republic? Wasn't that Laura's house?

"Are you just wandering around by yourself?" He inquired. She shook her head.

"Well, I wasn't. But my partner and I got separated, so here I am." She laughed. "What about you, did you go out on your own?" He nodded.

"Yea, we're all out solo." She raised an eyebrow.

"Is that something you should be telling me?"

"I think I can trust you."

She smiled, rolling her eyes. "Sure."

"I'm serious!" He insisted. "Anyway, who else is out from your team?" He asked. "Is Lukas around anywhere?"

"No, he's back at camp with Soren and the other's." She informed him, tugging at the ends of her hair. She and Abel had become pretty good friends in theatre class (well, as good friend's as they could become, what with both Gilbert and Lukas' immense hatred for the boy), and if she had learned anything about him, it was that he loved horror, could dance like nobody's business, and that he seemed to have a peculiar interest in anything and everything having to do with Lukas.

She had once inquired about it, and he responded merely that he liked to know things about people who hated him, particularly the strange ones. She did find it a little odd, but thus far, his curiosity about the boy hadn't caused any problems, and for the most part, Elizaveta couldn't even answer any question he had, because she herself knew so little about the Norwegian.

Abel's eyes stretched quickly. "Oh? That Dane who he's rooming with, right?" She nodded.

"That's right?"

"Hmm." He crossed his arms and cocked his head at her. "How do they get along, Lukas and Soren?" Elizaveta laughed wryly.

"Not great. Although, from what I can tell, the dislike it mostly from Lukas. Soren is just kind of oblivious, and he get's frustrated with him."

"So they don't like each other then." He mused. "Interesting."

"Yea you would think that." She began, a smile slipping onto her face. "But despite how cold Lukas is to Soren, I think that big blonde idiot is finally starting to get under his skin, and not in a bad way. You wouldn't know it, seeing how they interact and how Lukas acts around him, but I've seen him staring at Soren, and whenever I happen to drop in on he and Tino, they're almost always talking about him. It's sweet, really. Not to say I don't think he dislikes him, but maybe there's some friendship there too."

Abel frowned. "Really now…" As quickly as it had appeared, the frown disappeared, and he let out a laugh, grinning again. "Well, he's so sullen and dull, so it's good that he's making another friend. Even around you guys he's pretty weird, don't you think?"

"Sometimes." She agreed. "But he's our teammate and, well we all care about him, you know?"

The rain had slowed, down to a low drizzle, and a slit in the dark clouds allowed a soft stream of sunlight to cover the forest. Maybe they would get a rainbow? "It looks like the weather is improving." She commented, stepping out from under the shelter of the tree. The light dimmed again, but the slow pace of the rain lessened further, now barely visible.

"Good." Abel breathed. "Now we can get back to searching for flags."

"We?" She repeated skeptically. He shrugged sheepishly, rubbing his hand through his coal black hair.

"Well, you know it's- Elizaveta watch it!" He yelled suddenly, reaching for her. Before she even had a chance to register his warning, she felt a pair of strong hands grab her from behind, one grabbing her waist roughly and the other clamping firmly over her mouth. She let out a muffled scream, kicking and thrashing as her attacker tightened their grip on her.

"Let her go." Abel growled, curling his fists and glaring at the figure behind her.

"Why?" The boy laughed darkly. "She's not on your team, Abel. What's it to you? Get lost, before I take you instead."

"This isn't even your territory." He argued fiercely. "This is Republic land, and you're from the Script, Hunter. You don't have a right to capture anyone here."

"That wasn't a rule." He sneered. "We can capture enemies on any territory."

"That's not fair!"

"That's competition." The boy named Hunter hissed in her ear. "And we're going to win this one. Now fuck off, or I'll hold on the promise to let her go and bring you back instead. "

Abel flinched, hesitation flickering in his eyes as he glanced behind him into the thick of the brush. Elizaveta felt a new sense of panic rise in her chest. She couldn't get caught! Especially not knowing if Kiku was still out there or not. They had to be the lifelines between the base and the searchers. She fought harder, attempting to elbow him in the gut and meeting nothing but hard muscle. Damn it! She swore inwardly.

"Well Abel?" Hunter goaded. "Get lost. Now." The sapphire-eyed boy took a step backwards, and with an apologetic look her way, turned on his heel and sprinted into the thick of the woods, disappearing from sight.

"Heh, too easy." Hunter gloated. "Now come on, you're coming back with me. You're from Imperaturi right? Pathetic house. You guy's won't last." He released his grip on her mouth and waist momentarily, moving to grab her hands. Now! She thought inwardly. Elizaveta stepped forward frantically, trying to put at least some distance between the two of them.

"Bitch!" He snarled behind her. She turned on her feet as she tried to face him, stumbling backwards and raising her fists in defense. As she turned, she caught a flash of movement. Barely a flicker, there and then not. She wasn't even sure it was real. What was real was that when she turned around Hunter was gone. Or more accurately, flattened against a tree about twenty feet away. And in his place, stood a huffing Gilbert, crimson eyes flashing dangerously and teeth bared in a threatening primal manner. He looked beyond furious.

Elizaveta could only stare, eyes flitting back and forth between her German teammate and the boy currently slouched against a tree and just opening his eyes.

"Damn it." Hunter swore incoherently, rubbing his head. "What the hell was that?"

"Don't. Touch. Her." Gilbert spat, taking a step forward. "You're lucky you're still conscious you little prick. I should have hit you harder."

Elizaveta blinked slowly. Had she heard him correctly? Gilbert had HIT him? Hit this (now that she could see him) enormous, well-muscled boy who reminded her vaguely of Ludwig? Hit him? And sent him flying twenty feet into a tree? Sure, Gilbert looked strong enough, despite his much lankier stature, but that kind of strength? She wasn't even sure Berwald or Ludwig could do that.

"Tch." Hunter spat, pushing himself clumsily to his feet. "Lucky shot."

"You want to make sure of that?" Gilbert threatened, his voice a menacing quiet. Elizaveta felt a sort of panic rise in her stomach, and as if being pulled, she rushed forward and grabbed hold of Gilbert's arm, in a weak attempt to hold him back.

"Gilbert, don't."

His expression instantly softened, eyes losing their wild glimmer and his muscles relaxing in her grip. "Sorry." He breathed, still looking at Hunter. He turned to her. "I would have gotten to you sooner, but he was holding onto you and I didn't want to hit you too. I guess I should have taken it easier." He grimaced. "Get out of here." He said suddenly, turning back to Hunter. The brown-eyed boy muttered a string of curses under his breath, but with a last glare in their direction, stumbled away and out of sight.

"Did- did you really hit him?" Elizaveta asked finally. Gilbert shrugged, removing her fingers gently from around his arm. She gave him a look. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He stared at her, eyes flashing with what, for a moment, she could have sworn was uncertainty. Hesitance. But if it had been there, it was gone as soon as it had appeared. "What do you think I did?" He asked her seriously. She was as taken aback by his tone as his question.

"I don't know." She admitted. "Did… did you hit him with something? I mean I can't believe you just… punched him. And so quickly too."

For a mere instant, his mouth pulled down into a frown, but almost instantly pulled back into his usual cocky smirk, eyes glowing with amusement. "Ha I can't believe you didn't figure it out! Obviously I pushed him and then I tripped him, duh. Giant idiot just rolled over himself and hit the was just an act, stupid. Lizzie, I can't believe you fell for that, seriously, what monster is that strong?"

"Shut up! Don't call me Lizzie!" She muttered, shaking her head and feeling her heart rate return to normal. "I can't believe I fell for that. Anyone who's that strong would be scary, seriously."

"No kidding." Gilbert laughed. "Hey, I'm still looking for a thank you for saving you."

"Thank you." She rolled her eyes, shoving him gently. "How long were you there?"

"Long enough to see that ass Abel leave you. I swear I'm going to give him what for the next time I see him. No one treats Imperaturi like that!"

"Leave him be." She chided. "I'm not mad, it was the right thing to do in the situation."

"Yea, well whatever. By the way, where's Kiku?" Gilbert inquired. "I thought you two were together?"

"We got separated." She sighed.

"Well, then we better go looking for him huh, little miss?" Gilbert snickered, dodging a well-aimed punch. And with that, they wandered off into the forest in search of their little ebony haired teammate.

O ~ O ~ O

Kiku slipped quietly through the trees, acutely aware of the shouting of other students in the distance, and the presence of others nearby. It had been rotten luck that he and Elizaveta had gotten separated, and he hoped dearly that the girl hadn't been caught. Pulling his black scarf higher over his mouth, he glanced cautiously around a small clearing that he was skirting, flinching at the sound of a voice getting closer. Darn it, he had to find someone else.

Well, at least he had some bearing as to where he was. Several groups had past him already, and the most frequent arm band (and those belonging to the owners not sneaking around) was that of the Script house. How unlucky, to end up in this territory.

His ears perked sharply as loud laughter filled them, followed by rough cursing, from two other people, if he had to guess. He slunk down to the ground, peering over the bushes as the voices approached. In first was a blonde, adorned in white jeans and red jacket. In his ear lobe, Kiku could make out a flash of red, as if it were beading blood. He let out a loud whoop and flashed by him, almost disappearing in the trees.

Behind him, running at a much slower pace, were two boys, shaking their fists furiously and screaming profanities at him. They both had script house bands. The other boy, if Kiku remember correctly, hadn't had one, unless he'd missed it or it had been on his other arm. Shrugging it off, he waited for the final two to vanish after him, and continued in the same direction, keeping his head low for fear of more Script members coming barreling through the woods.

A girls voice sounded near by. Then a boy's. Then another girl's. It seemed as if this part of the forest was alive with movement.

And then, Kiku was met with a much more familiar voice.

"Don't! We'll go with you, OK?"

Kiku scrunched his nose. Arthur? He crept toward the noise, stepping over the leaves and sticks that blocked his path.

"Arthur, just go. You've got the sword, get back and radio some one else." Alfred?

"No, I'm not-"

"What's going on?" A feminine voice cut in. Kiku shifted in the bushes, trying to get a better look at what was going on. A boy was standing behind Alfred, holding a wooden sword to his back. Arthur stood in front of Alfred, sword drawn menacingly, and behind him, appeared a red haired girl with gray blue eyes.

"Imperaturi brats." The boy sneered. "I think this counts as being caught. Come on, hands up. Or are you going to break the rules?"

Slowly Alfred raised his hands, giving Arthur a slow nod in encouragement for him to do the same. The emerald-eyed blonde narrowed his eyed, but did the same, slipping his sword into its sheath and imitating Alfred's motions.

"I don't think you'll be needing that." The girl laughed, tugging Arthur's sword away from him and twirling it around. "Now come on you two, let's get moving."

"You guys are loathsome, you know that?" Alfred spat.

"We've been told."

With an ungracious shove, the boy pushed Alfred forward, and the group began to walk away, disappearing from Kiku's vision. He felt his stomach churn. Wonderful. Arthur and Alfred had been caught. But they didn't mean they had to be lost. Taking a deep breath, he slunk softly after them, darting in and out of trees in an attempt to keep on their trail. Finally, after about twenty minutes of wandering, he was led to a sharp over hand in the forest. It was if the ground had been cut out, leaving nothing but a cliff down into more forest below. The only way down, besides falling, was to walk down the sloping hill and curve into the woods.

It was incredibly strange.

But now, he knew where their camp was. Alfred let out a hiss of protest as the boy wrapped a rope around his wrists and Kiku felt his heart go out to the pair. They were really miserable people, the Script house. With a last glance at his teammates, Kiku slipped away into the forest, pulling the makeshift radio out of his pocket as he ran. Now to call for back up.

"Hello, Gilbert? This is Kiku…"

O ~ O ~ O

**A/N: **YES POV switch I know XD I had actually planned that a long way back though, because it's hard to tell such an intricate story with only the POV's of two characters, and in times like this it's pretty impossible XP

Actually, I feel kind of bad because there wasn't a lot of USUK this chapter ^^' Don't worry, I promise there will be ALOT next chapter, so look forward to that! This was more focused on everyones happenings. Haha one thing I was happy with was how everyone was having their moments and Kiku's just sneaking around like a BA ninja :P I love Japan, seriously 3

Please review! You guy's always do, but it's nice to know I haven't been forgotten :) See you!


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